Cannonball
by Secret-writer91
Summary: Rosemary Parker could never work out what Thomas Shelby saw in her and the fact that they had managed to stay together baffled her still. The outbreak of World War One puts an end to any thoughts that she had that her courtship with Thomas was going to get easier. How will their relationship cope when Thomas is shipped off to fight in the brewing war across Europe? Tommy/OC.
1. Not a Gentleman

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.**

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 **Chapter One: Not a Gentleman.**

"You have a gentleman caller," Mary Green teased walking past her friend as she finished hemming the dress that she was working on; it needed to be done by the end of the day since Mrs Smith would be collecting it early tomorrow. The day was ending and the girls at the store were starting to finish the last of the orders that needed to be done for the next day.

The small shop had been started by Mary's mother and had passed to her when she had died, there was enough work from the local area that meant that Mary had been able to offer out jobs to those she trusted. Rosemary Parker couldn't contain her smile, she hadn't been expecting him to call on her while she was at work and it had been a few days since she had last seen him.

"I wouldn't call him a gentleman," Lily Anderson scoffed shaking her head, she had no idea what Rosemary was thinking with courting a man like that but it was only going to end in tears. The last thing that Lily wanted to see was her friend get hurt, she was the oldest of the group and she was determined to make sure that they all kept out of trouble. Rosemary held back a roll of her eyes as she tried to finish off her work, she was almost done and she would be done for the day after this.

"Neither would I," Katherine Phillips teased with a wink to Rosemary, she found it sweet that they had been together so long and it truly wasn't fair to judge someone just on rumours. If they were to believe every rumour that they heard then no one would talk to each other and she was sure that she wouldn't have some of the best friends in the world to work with. Lily huffed before turning on her heel and walking away to finish off the dress that she was working on; she had expressed her concern before now and no one listened to her.

"Go. I can finish this off for you... have fun with Mr Shelby," Katherine insisted moving to take Rosemary's position, she didn't have anything better to do and she would happily finish off the dress for her friend. If she had a man like that waiting for her then she wouldn't want to be waiting around to go and see him; Katherine had ditched out enough in the past and someone else was always covering for her now it was her turn to return the favour.

Rosemary opened her mouth to protest before Katherine gave her a little push, she was nearly done and there wasn't much that needed doing to the dress; it wasn't like she hadn't covered for Katherine in the past. Removing her apron, Rosemary made her way to the small room where they housed their things during work; she had a small hanger with her name on that held her coat during work hours.

Taking down her coat, Rosemary hung up her apron before thinking about how glad she was that she had a bit more freedom now that she had this job. Rosemary liked the freedom that it gave her and she was glad of the break that it gave her from listening to her mother talk about all her friends' daughters that were married and having babies right now.

Pulling on her coat, Rosemary waved goodbye to her friends as she stepped out of the small corner shop where they worked from. The chilly evening air greeted her and Rosemary buttoned up her coat to keep warm as her brown eyes swept over the street before they landed on the man that was waiting for her. Rosemary had no idea what Thomas Shelby saw in her, she was sure that he could have any girl from the neighbourhood on his arm yet for some reason he had picked her.

"You know if my father finds out..." Rosemary started to remind him, she didn't need another lecture about their relationship. Robert Parker didn't like any of the Shelby clan and the fact that Thomas Shelby had taken an interest in his eldest daughter didn't sit right with him; he had hoped that she would follow her younger sister in choosing a good husband.

A smile formed on Thomas's face and he turned to fully look at Rosemary, he hadn't seen her in a couple of days and he was more than happy to come and surprise her like this. It wasn't like Thomas really cared what Robert thought of him, the man was all talk and no action; he wasn't a problem that Thomas saw himself having to deal with anytime soon.

Thomas didn't care much for anyone else's thoughts on his relationship, he liked Rosemary and after what had happened with his father he had never wanted to settle down. However, if he ever did make that step then Thomas could only ever see himself doing so with someone like her and it made him even more determined to ignore what people had to say. Those around them had no idea and Thomas preferred to keep them guessing, he knew what they said about him and his family; it wasn't pretty and he didn't care for the rumours but it meant that most left him and his family alone.

"How's Finn?" Rosemary asked softly, she had been helping Thomas's five-year-old brother learn to read when she had the chance and it had been a few weeks since she had last visited the Shelby home. With neither of Thomas's parents around anymore, raising the little boy had fallen to the older two Shelby brothers and their aunt which wasn't an easy task. Arthur Shelby Senior had walked out on the family when Finn was just a baby, around the same time that Louise Shelby had passed away.

"He asks when you're coming to visit nearly every day," Thomas replied with a smile, he was surprised with how taken Finn was with her and he was glad that his youngest brother seemed to be getting better with his reading and writing. The youngest Shelby hated sitting still for long periods of time and none of them had managed to teach him anything; he only seemed to sit still when Rosemary sat with him and helped him with his education.

Rosemary smiled, she liked spending time with Finn and she was glad to help in any way that she could with getting him to sit still to learn; she had done the same with her younger sisters when her parents had been too busy to teach them. The last thing that she wanted was for anyone to fall behind when learning the basics was so important, in a few years he would be out of school and would have to find some way of supporting himself when he was older.

"I'll visit when I can," Rosemary assured, she hadn't been able to visit much with work picking up and her parents had made it clear that they didn't approve of her time being spent with the Shelby family. It wasn't easy and she often wished that they would be more understanding that the things that they heard on the streets weren't completely true about the Shelby's. Her parents should know better than most that there wasn't always a lot of truth in the whispers that they heard; they had been subject to one or two rumours themselves.

"I am sure he'll be thrilled with that," Thomas mused, he would be questioned about his visit to see Rosemary as soon as he stepped through the door. His aunt had become quite fond of the blonde that had captured his attention dispute her reservations at the start of his relationship with her; she had been worried that he might come to regret his decision to court her.

"Perhaps I could visit after church on Sunday," Rosemary suggested thoughtfully, she had the day off and she was sure that she could manage to come and visit without attracting too much attention from her parents. Thomas smiled, he liked the idea of spending more time with her even if he did have to share her attention with his brother.

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	2. Sunday Education

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.**

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 **Chapter Two: Sunday Education.**

"I promised Mary that I would help her with the shop," Rosemary lied once the service was over and they had stepped out of the church, she couldn't tell her mother where she was really going. There was no way that Victoria Parker would ever allow her to leave if she guessed that Rosemary was intending to travel and there would only be another fight that she wasn't prepared for. Victoria didn't approve of the fact that her eldest daughter was courting a man like Thomas Shelby; she was sure the nice baker boy that worked with her husband would be a much better fit for her.

"I shan't be late," Rosemary promised with a smile, she was sure her mother would be far too busy fussing over Colleen to notice that she was missing anyway. Her younger sister was happy married to a dock-worker and had recently announced her first pregnancy; all attention was focused on her and making sure that they were prepared for parenthood. Victoria raised an eyebrow at Rosemary, it was unusual for her to work on a Sunday and she was sure that Rosemary would have mentioned such a thing before now.

"She's working on a wedding dress and there was a little accident after the bride-to-be took it home and she's getting married soon," Rosemary continued to lie, she felt horrid for doing so especially after stepping out of church but it was the only way that her mother would allow her to leave and she would get to spend time with the Shelby family.

Victoria nodded her head, she couldn't deny Mary such help when a woman only got one wedding day; she was sure that between the two of them that they could fix such a problem fast. A smile filled Rosemary's face and she was glad that her mother had agreed, it wasn't like Victoria would come to the shop and check what was happening anyway. Since Rosemary had started working at the store, neither of her parents had stepped inside content that their eldest daughter had found decent work in their area; a good job like that was hard to come by.

"Send my regards to Mary," Victoria insisted before she turned her attention back to Colleen and talking about her first grandchild; the baby would arrive in late January of next year and there was much to be done. Robert Parker frowned as he looked at Rosemary, he had a feeling that she wasn't being completely honest with them on where she was going.

He would have much to say if he discovered that Rosemary had been spending more time with that Shelby boy; he didn't like any of the Shelby boys and none of them were good enough for his daughters. Rosemary watched her mother and sisters walk away before she started to leave the church, if she was quick enough then she would be able to catch up with Polly and Ada as they walked home from church.

Not looking back at her father, knowing very well that he was watching her walk away; Rosemary clutched her coat close to her as she hurried along not wanting to make the entire trip to the Shelby house alone. Robert frowned and made a move to follow Rosemary when Victoria called out to him; he sighed guessing that he would have to let his suspicions lay a little longer.

He nodded to Peter Kinross wishing that Rosemary would find a good man like him; he wanted someone who would keep her safe and she wouldn't have to fear anything from. Colleen had been extremely lucky when she found Peter, she had found someone quickly and they were already expecting their first child after only a few months of marriage. Robert had a feeling that he'd get quite a few grandchildren from Colleen and Peter in the future.

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Stepping into the cramped kitchen, Thomas couldn't help but smile at the sight of Finn reading with Rosemary's help; he was pleased to see that she had come just like she had promised. It wasn't easy being together but it was worth it when they had moments like this and it made him think of a future that he had never considered before; he found himself thinking about it even more now. There were whispers that came to his ears and he didn't like what he was hearing, there was something coming and no one was sure just what was going on.

"Tommy," Finn shouted snapping Thomas out of his thoughts, he smiled at the sight of his second eldest brother surprised that he had come here when he was meant to be working. Rosemary's brown eyes snapped towards him surprised that she hadn't heard him come in, she was sure that Tommy was the only man in the world that could creep up on her like that. Leaning against the door frame, Thomas looked more at ease than he had done in a while and Rosemary could only imagine what was going on inside his mind right now.

"Don't mind me... finish your lesson with Rose," Thomas insisted wanting his brother to get the best help that he could with his schooling while he had the chance. There was time for fun later and Finn had to at least be able to do the basics, he would need that later on in life even if he did come and work with the rest of the family.

Finn nodded his head before turning his attention back towards the book that he had been reading with Rosemary; he wanted his brothers to be proud of him when they heard him read. Listening to Finn read, Thomas smiled knowing that his brother would hopefully have a better life than he and the others had done after their mother had died and their father left time.

It was strange to think that so much had been put upon him and Arthur when there hadn't really been anyone else around to step up for them; they'd only had their Aunt Polly to count on when their parents were gone. Rosemary peeked up at Thomas as he moved away from the door frame and headed back out into the hallway; she watched him leave guessing that he had work to be getting on with.

Turning her focus back to helping Finn, Rosemary knew that things had been good for a while now and her friends had even teased that Thomas might be planning to take the next step with her. They had been together for a year now and there were no signs of things changing between them anytime soon. Just as Thomas was about to step out of the front door to head back to the office, he felt a hand catch his arm pulling him to a gentle stop; he wasn't surprised to find that it was his Aunt Polly.

"She's a good girl Tommy... you could do a lot worse," Polly mused with a small smile, she had overheard him talking with some of the boys the other night and she was sure he wouldn't waste much more time. The biggest problem that seemed to stay his hand was the fact that Rosemary's parents would never approve of such a match.

Polly had noticed how Victoria looked down her nose at her when they were at church and she wondered just who Victoria Parker thought she was. There was no need to worry about food shortages in the Shelby household and Polly had even sent what could be spared home with Rosemary when things got a little tough during the winter.

Robert didn't make a lot of money at work and Victoria didn't work at all, there were seven of them living in that house with only three of them bringing in rather small pay-checks. Raising an eyebrow at his aunt, Thomas didn't say a word before walking out of the house to get some business done.

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	3. The World Turned Upside-Down

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.**

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 **Chapter Three: The World Turned Upside-Down.**

Rosemary stared down at the morning paper and frowned at the headlines that stared back at her, it didn't make any sense and she feared just what this meant. The news had come swiftly and everything seemed to be spiralling out of control; the entire continent was erupting into war and nothing seemed to be able to stop it. It had only been a few weeks ago that the news of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife had been filling the papers; now all there seemed to be were war declarations.

"Would you stop staring at that thing, the news isn't going to change," Lily said passing by, they were meant to be working and staring at the morning headlines weren't going to change what had been decided by Parliament. They would need to get a move on if they were going to get their workloads completed by the end of the day; it should be enough to distract them all from what was happening outside of the store.

"This is crazy… I can't remember the last big war like this," Katherine whispered peeking over Rosemary's shoulder at the paper, it was scary and she knew that this would certainly change things around here. Already there were calls for young men to enlist in the army and it wasn't going to stop there; they were even saying that the war should be over by Christmas and many believed that it would be.

Setting down the paper, Rosemary tried to think back to the last time there had been such a war like this; she couldn't think of one and she worried just who might end up being dragged into such a war. To any young man around here, war would seem glamorous and away to make themselves a name to be remembered if they were so lucky.

"So many young men that won't return home…" Mary murmured shaking her head, her father had died during the Boxer Rebellion and she doubted that this war would be any easier in its death toll. There was silence at her words and her three friends knew that she was right, there were so many that wouldn't return and things didn't look like they were going to get better quickly from what the papers were saying.

Rosemary swallowed, she feared for them and she knew that Arthur, Thomas and John would jump at the chance to fight in a war; they would want to protect and serve their country. It would break her heart if anything happened to them, she adored the Shelby family and she didn't think they would recover if anything happened to the eldest three.

Shaking her head, Rosemary tried not to think about what she would do if Thomas didn't make it; she adored him the most and she could see a future with him even if her parents didn't approve. Her father would likely be called into action as well and Rosemary had heard that Colleen had plans of joining up as a nurse while she could. It didn't matter that she was pregnant right now, she wanted to help in any way that she could; she had trained as a nurse and wanted to put her skills to good use.

"We should get some work done," Mary insisted not wanting to fall behind, she wondered how business would be affected with men going off to war and there were likely to be quite a few weddings in their neighbourhood. Young couples wanting to get married before the men were shipped off to fight in a war that many people wouldn't come back from.

Rosemary nodded her head and headed back to her station, she didn't want to fall further behind when she had plans with Thomas that evening. It wasn't going to be easy and she knew that thoughts of the war across the English Channel wouldn't be easily ignored for long.

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Barely listening as Arthur gave orders, Thomas stared at the letter that sat in front of him knowing that he should have seen that coming; the news had only just come that England would enter the war and now this. He had never thought that things were going to happen like this and the fact that they were already calling men into action was worrying but there wasn't anything that could be done about it.

Looking up from where he was sat, Thomas eyed the men that worked around him knowing that many of them including himself would be enlisted for his war. This time, it was just Arthur that had been called for and that didn't stop him from worrying about his hot-headed brother who would be leaving in a matter of days. Arthur hadn't said much since he had gotten his deployment orders that morning, he instead focused on the family business which would be left in Thomas's hands while he was gone.

"You shouldn't worry so much," Aunt Polly insisted stopping beside Thomas and looking down at the letter in his hands in distain; she wasn't happy about this but there was nothing she could do. If Arthur was being called to war then there was nothing that they could say or do that would stop him from going especially when remaining would see him deemed a coward by those around them. The Order of the White Feather had been set up to aimed to shame men into enlisting in the British army by persuading women to present them with a white feather if they were not wearing a uniform.

"Better too much, then not at all," Thomas muttered placing down the letter, he didn't like this and he imagined that it wouldn't be long before he was going to be in the same situation. His thoughts drifted to Rosemary knowing that it wasn't going to be an easy conversation to have with her; he couldn't imagine going away to war and leaving her behind. He was sure that her parents would use it as a perfect opportunity to try and set her up with a man who they deemed much more suitable for her than he was.

"It could be you next," Aunt Polly mused, she didn't like the idea but it would happen and she knew that there was just one question that Thomas had to consider when it came down to it. Rosemary was a lovely girl and if Thomas went off to war, Polly had very little doubts that if he did make it back alive that she would still want him; she wouldn't put it past Victoria to set Rosemary up with some nice officer or something that would remain in the country.

"What exactly do you want be to do about that?" Thomas asked leaning back in his seat, he raised an eyebrow at his aunt waiting to hear what she had to say. Polly was silent for a moment before she took the seat next to him, her eyes looking across the room at his brothers doubting that they would interrupt them; there was much to be done today.

Arthur hadn't settled down himself, he didn't seem interested right now in finding himself a good wife who would care for him when things went south. Then there was John who had married Martha a couple of years ago, they had a couple of kids and seemed pretty settled in the life that they had together; it wasn't easy but they were making it work.

"Perhaps you and John have more in common than you and Arthur do," Polly replied simply, a small smile playing on her lips and she wouldn't deny that she hadn't hoped for better for her nephew. Thomas deserved to be happy and he had found that with Rosemary, she kept him out of trouble and if they were to elope before Thomas was deployed then it wasn't like anyone would blame them with a war taking place around them.

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	4. No Greater Cause

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.**

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 **Chapter Four: No Greater Cause.**

"I have news," Robert announced taking a seat at the table, his family were all crammed into the small room waiting to hear what he had to say and he doubted that they would be happy with his news. It hadn't been an easy decision to make but Robert doubted that there was any way that he could deny the calling that was coming for all men to sign up for the war.

Rosemary leant against the kitchen counter in the corner of the room, she had a feeling that she knew what he was going to say; many in the street around them had gone to fight in the war. It had barely been a few days since Arthur Shelby had left and the streets were emptying of men that were capable of fighting in this war.

"I enlisted in the war effort… my papers came this morning and I am leaving in the coming days," Robert revealed knowing that this shouldn't come as much of a surprise for them; everyone had to do their part and he was going to do his. There was nothing that anyone could say that would dissuade him from this and he wanted to make his family proud of him.

He wasn't going to be one of those cowards that stayed while everyone else was fighting, they needed every able man that they could get their hands on to fight in this war. Victoria was completely speechless at the news that her husband had enlisted, it was something that they had discussed and she had thought that he would remain here with them instead of fighting.

She didn't care if that made him a coward and he was forced to walk around with some white feather attached to his jacket; it would mean that he was safe and that was all that mattered to her. Ellen started to cry, she didn't want her father going to war; she was frightened and she knew that there was every chance that something could happen to him.

Yvette moved to comfort Ellen, none of them liked this but there was no backing out now; he was going and she had seen how people treated those who weren't signing up. Those who completely refused to fight for their country were practically shunned by the community; it wouldn't be long before they were attacked for not fighting when every other man was.

"You can't," Colleen insisted wanting her father to remain safe, there had to be things that he could do around here that could contribute to the war effort without him being shipped off to the main land to fight. It wasn't like there wasn't enough men going off to fight, she couldn't imagine what she would do if Peter went to war; she had insisted that he stay behind since they were expecting their first child and she needed him here.

Rosemary shook her head, there was no way that he couldn't go now and she could only imagine what sort of disgrace would be brought upon their family home if their father changed his mind. The Order of the White Feather would certainly make sure that Robert would keep to his duty; they were already ensuring that more men signed up for the cause by singling out those who refused to do so.

"My Peter will never join up for this stupid war," Colleen insisted resting a hand on her stomach, she was joyfully looking forward to becoming a mother and this war wasn't going to change that. Her baby was due in the coming year and she had already started to prepare for that day; she wanted nothing more than to have her husband be with her when that time came.

"Then he's a fool," Robert told her, he couldn't imagine that Peter's decision to remain would go un-noticed and his life would be forever marked by his decision not to fight in this war.

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Arriving at the Shelby house, Rosemary couldn't help but find the house oddly quiet now that Arthur had left for the war; it had only been a couple of days since he had left but his presence was missed by his family. Many men had disappeared from the streets that she walked, all of them going to fight in a war with the promise that they would be back for Christmas.

Shutting the door behind her, Rosemary let out a breath as she thought about how tense things had been that morning over breakfast; she had left when her mother and sister had tried to talk her father out of leaving. There was no way around it now and Rosemary knew that this would be just the beginning; she didn't want to think about who would be next.

"Rosie," Finn called in greeting, he rushed from the living room towards her with a large smile on his face; he hadn't been expecting her today and he was so happy that she had come. Things had been tense since Arthur had left and he wondered which one of his brothers would be next; he didn't want to be the only one left behind but he had heard that John was already been down to enlist.

Shrugging off her coat, Rosemary hung it up by the door way and gave the little boy a hug; he seemed to always have a smile on his face when she saw him. Heading towards the kitchen, Rosemary found Thomas and Polly having a deep conversation and it didn't look pleasant; she paused by the doorway not wanting to disturb them. Clearing her throat, Rosemary was surprised that neither of them seemed to have noticed during their whispered conversation that she had arrived.

"Rosemary," Polly greeted with a forced smile, she hadn't been expecting the girl that day but she knew that the visit couldn't have come at a better time. Thomas straightened up, his eyes sweeping over Rosemary and locking onto Finn; hoping that his younger brother hadn't heard what they had been discussing and informed Rosemary yet.

"You mentioned something about lunch?" Rosemary reminded him, she was sure that he wouldn't have forgotten and she wanted to get away from the house while she had the chance. The last thing that Rosemary wanted was to spend even more time around her family when they were arguing; however, it was quite refreshing not being the source of such arguments for a change.

Thomas nodded his head, he moved towards Rosemary knowing that he would much rather spend a lovely afternoon such as this with her instead of running around dealing with idiots for business. Before he could get too far away from Polly, her hand shot out and grabbed his arm; her eyes focused on his face as she pulled him close to her.

"You're going to have to tell her eventually," Polly hissed at him, she had no idea how he had managed to keep this a secret from them for so long but there was nothing that she could do about it now. Thomas only stared at her for a moment, he knew that she was right but that didn't help him now; he was unsure how Rosemary would react to the idea that he had enlisted in the war. His orders had come that morning with his aunt opening them before he could receive them; he hadn't wanted his family to find out like this especially after Arthur had just left.

"I shall see you later Aunt Poll," Thomas insisted with a nod of his head, she was right of course but that didn't mean that he was just going to completely drop the news on her. Rosemary deserved to be told and Thomas had the entire conversation planned rather carefully in his head. He could only hope that everything went the way that he had imagined it, he didn't want to break the news in a way that might hurt her.

* * *

"There's nothing great about war Tommy," Rosemary whispered staring at him, the news that he had enlisted had come as a bit of a surprise even if it had been expected; it hurt that he hadn't told her sooner about this. She'd only just received the news that her father was being deployed to fight in France and now she had to deal with the fact that Thomas was going with him.

Rosemary sat silent trying to make sense of the mess that had come with this war, she feared just what would lay ahead for them and just how this would affect things now. Thomas nodded his head at her words, he didn't think that there would be anything good to come from this war; he just knew that he couldn't stay in Birmingham and do nothing.

"I have to do this Rose… I have to fight for my country, to protect my family… to protect you," Thomas insisted taking her hand, they had been walking around the park when he had broken the news to her and she hadn't said much since he had told her. He had just heard that her father had enlisted and it seemed like a good time to tell her that he would also be fighting in the war; he had been rather surprised to her that her brother-in-law would not be enlisting. Thomas very much doubted that would last long especially when Peter was forced to where a white feather to show how much of a coward he was.

"They say the war will be done by Christmas… I should be home soon," Thomas said trying to offer her some thought of comfort, he very much doubted that any war would be over so quickly especially with so many countries now involved in it. Rosemary took a deep breath, she didn't believe that for a moment and the more times that she seemed to hear those words; the more she began to believe that the war would last much longer.

With a nod of her head, Rosemary accepted that Thomas was going to fight in the war; he would serve in the same unit as Arthur was and her father was going to do. Relief filled Thomas when he realised that she wasn't going to try and talk him out of it, he didn't want to upset her and it was going to be hard enough to leave when his time came to do so.

"There is one thing I would like to do before I leave…" Thomas murmured with a smile, he could only imagine leaving for war one way and he hoped that Rosemary was going to consent especially given that her parents disliked him. There was no greater cause than fighting for his country and Thomas knew that he would probably never forget this moment while he was there; it would be all that he would think about while he was away from her. His hands felt rather clammy as he looked at Rosemary, he wasn't quite sure how to say this but he hoped that he wasn't about to make a mess of this.

"Marry me?" Thomas asked wanting nothing more than to have this happen before he left, he cared not what Robert and Victoria would say; he was sure that they'd have bigger things to worry about right now. Rosemary Lily Shelby had a lovely ring to it and Thomas very much doubted that they would be the only young couple rushing to get married before the man was shipped off to fight in the war. A smile formed on Rosemary's face as she stared at Thomas, she couldn't quite believe that he had asked her and she knew deep down what her answer would be.

"Yes," Rosemary gushed, she threw her arms around Thomas's neck and kissed him; she couldn't imagine that she would have said anything else to that question. Her parents would just have to deal with the fact that she was going to marry Thomas, she wasn't going to marry some baker like her sister had done.

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	5. Becoming a Shelby

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.**

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 **Chapter Five: Becoming a Shelby.**

"Are you sure that you want to do it this way?" Polly asked approaching her nephew as they stood outside the church where the ceremony was going to take place; she had been surprised when Thomas had told her the date for the wedding. It had been very rushed and Polly had been surprised how quickly everything had been pulled together such an event without raising the alarm. There was no sign that Rosemary's parents or siblings had any idea that today she would marry; her family were rather focused on the fact that her father was going to leave soon.

"Her family have a right to be here Tommy… even if they don't like us," Polly muttered, she didn't like the idea of being around Victoria Parker longer than necessary but it was her eldest daughter's wedding day something that she had surely dreamed about for years. It was a shame that there wasn't going to be anyone from Rosemary's side of the family attending; it was meant to be a joyous occasion before Thomas and Robert went off to war.

"They would never agree to be here or let Rosemary come if they knew," Thomas pointed out, he could just imagine what sort of plan that Victoria would cook up if she had the slightest idea about what was about to happen. Polly went to reply when John appeared with the news that Rosemary was on her way, it would take her a few minutes to arrive and it would be bad luck for Thomas to see her before she walked down the aisle.

Ushering her nephew inside so that he couldn't ruin the surprise, Polly had seen a glimpse of Rosemary's dress that morning and she had been impressed. The decision to have the wedding had been very short notice and the fact that Rosemary had somehow pulled together a very beautiful dress for her wedding day.

"Still sure that you wish to become a Shelby?" Katherine asked making sure that the dress didn't get caught in a puddle as they walked down the street; she peeked behind her glad to see that they weren't being followed. They wouldn't have been the first women to walk towards the church to get married recently, the news tended to spread quickly and that was the last thing they wanted today. Rosemary hadn't breathed a word to anyone in her family about her plans, she had wanted to tell them only for her mother to start another rant about how she could do better than the Shelby boy.

"More than sure," Rosemary replied, she wasn't going to change her mind now and she couldn't help but feel rather nervous about the fact that she was about to wed. It was hard to believe that soon she would be Rosemary Shelby, she was to be someone's wife and her life would change from the moment that she said I do.

Of course, there was the matter of telling her parents what she had done but that could wait; right now, she just wanted to focus on marrying Thomas instead of the fight that would come with it. There was no way that her parents would take this lightly and Rosemary was more than prepared for what came with that.

Reaching the church, Rosemary paused outside for a moment with Mary and Katherine at her side; she was glad that they were with her today even if Lily had refused to come with them to the church. She didn't agree with what Rosemary was about to do but she wanted her friend to be happy; she had even promised to attend the small celebration at the Garrison later with them.

Mary and Katherine offered her reassuring smiles before heading inside to find their places; they were happy for her and they hoped that this wasn't all going to end in tears. Hesitating for just a moment, Rosemary let her worries slip away as she stepped into the church knowing that there was nothing in the world that would change her mind about this.

Thomas turned when the music started to play and he couldn't help but think how beautiful Rosemary looked in her dress; he couldn't find words to describe how beautiful she was in this moment. He could barely pay attention to the priest as he started to speak, it was hard to believe that if everything went well that when he returned from war; he would spend the rest of his life with Rosemary.

It was something that he would hold onto while he was away fighting in the war, it would get him through whatever happened there and he would find a way to come back to her. The ceremony was over quickly and neither Thomas nor Rosemary could believe that they were now officially married; it was all a bit of a blare and they couldn't have been happier that they were married.

Thomas ducked forward and kissed Rosemary, he wouldn't have to be sneaky now that she was his wife and they would handle breaking the news to her parents together. There few that had come to witness them getting married clapped and cheered for the happily couple; the easy part was over now and there were quite a few trials that they'd have to get past now.

Polly wiped away the stray tear as she watched the couple, she was happy for them and at least for now they could forget that there was a war going on. It was strange to think that in four days' time, Thomas would be leaving for war and only God knew when he would be coming home; it wasn't going to be easy but at least they had a few days together before he went.

Tomorrow, they would go and tell her parents what they had done but today was about celebrating and that was what they were going to do.

* * *

"You look happy," Lily mused approaching Rosemary, she had just arrived and she was surprised that so many people had turned up to celebrate the marriage; she had almost expected to run into Rosemary's parents when she had arrived. Colin had gone to the bar and Lily had worked up the courage to approach her friend; she had felt a little nervous about it since she hadn't attended the ceremony.

Rosemary hadn't been able to stop smiling since the priest had announced that she was married; she couldn't believe that things had worked out like this. She was now officially Rosemary Shelby and she didn't care what anyone thought about that; she had married a man that she completely adored and who adored her in return.

"I am," Rosemary replied turning to Lily, she knew that Lily wasn't happy with what she had done but it was done now and there was no changing the vows that she had exchanged. Lily nodded her head and looked around the room to where Thomas was talking with his friends; she hoped that he realised just how lucky he was to have her friend as his wife.

The war was bound to change a lot of things for them all and the last thing that Lily wanted was to see Rosemary get hurt or becoming a widow when she was barely in her twenties. Making his way across the room, Thomas couldn't help but smile when he saw his wife; it was time for them to be heading home and he knew that it was getting late.

"Mrs Shelby," Thomas greeted taking Rosemary's hand, he would never get tired of that and he doubted that he was ever going to get used to it. Rosemary felt her stomach fill with butterflies as she realised that it was time for them to leave; tomorrow they would tell her parents and she could only hope that they would understand.

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	6. No Longer a Parker

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.**

* * *

 **Chapter Six: No Longer a Parker.**

Staring up at the house that she had grown up in, Rosemary felt ill at the idea of heading inside and speaking with her parents; she doubted that they were going to take the news well. She could just picture how they would react and Rosemary was thankful that she had brought Thomas with her; she didn't know for a moment how she would handle the task of telling her parents without him beside her.

Heading towards the front door, Thomas knew that this had the potential to end badly and he wished that there was something that he could do to spare Rosemary what was about to come. The door to the house swung open and Thomas had to raise an eyebrow at the sight of Colleen, he had always thought that Rosemary's younger sister was a bit of a busy body.

"What's he doing here?" Colleen hissed standing in the front door, she stared at Thomas like he was nothing more than dirt on the bottom of her shoes; she couldn't believe that Rosemary had the nerve to show up with him, especially after not coming home last night. They had all been worried sick and Victoria had been very close for sending for the police to have them tracked down her eldest daughter but Robert had stopped her.

"I need to speak with mother and father," Rosemary insisted feeling even more nervous about what she was about to do; she didn't need Colleen sticking her nose in and making the situation harder than it needed to be. There was silence for a moment as the two sisters stared at each other, neither backing down before Colleen pursed her lips and moved aside to allow Rosemary and Thomas into the house.

She shut the door behind them and wrinkled her nose as she stared at the back of Thomas's head; she didn't like this and she hoped that he'd be gone soon. Heading towards the living room, Rosemary felt even nervous when she spotted her mother and father; her heart pounded in her chest and she felt sick knowing that in a matter of moments things would implode.

"Where have you been?" Victoria shouted leaping to her feet and moving to approach her daughter before she saw who was behind her; she stared wondering just why Thomas Shelby was here when she had forbidden Rosemary to see him. Robert looked between the two as they stood before him and Victoria, he had a feeling that he already knew what this was about. It wouldn't have surprised him considering what was going on out there and they wouldn't be the only young couple to make such a mistake; he slowly reached for his wife and attempted to pull her back.

"We have been worried sick Rosemary," Victoria said staring at her daughter, she shrugged off her husband and stepped closer to the couple; she eyed Thomas wanting him gone so that she could focus on her daughter. She had no idea what Rosemary saw in him and she couldn't believe that her daughter had brought him home with her; she had never liked him and she had hoped that Rosemary would stay away from him.

"Thomas and I have something to tell you," Rosemary said trying to sound more confident than she felt, she squeezed Thomas's hand when he took it glad that he was here with her. The look that appeared on her mother's face scared Rosemary and she stepped back towards Thomas hoping that this wasn't going to end in tears so quickly. Colleen, Yvette and Ellen hovered by the door waiting to hear what would be said and quickly jumped as Victoria stormed towards them frightened that they would meet her wrath like Rosemary was about to do.

"Upstairs now," Victoria snapped sending the younger Parker daughters scrambling up the stairs and away from their angry mother who had quickly turned her attentions back to her eldest daughter. Rosemary flinched at the look that her mother gave her before Victoria leapt forward and started to hit Thomas; she stumbled back in fright unsure what was exactly going through the woman's head right now.

"How dare you get her pregnant!" Victoria screeched slapping Thomas, she almost felt pleased when the Shelby didn't try and stop her attack; she knew something like this would happen and she could imagine what people would say. It was only when Robert pulled his wife away, that the attack stopped and Thomas was thankful that he hadn't attempted to stop her; the last thing he needed was people saying that he had attacked her. Moving forward to make sure that Thomas was okay, Rosemary peeked towards her parents; she was sure her news might be a little better than what they had thought.

"Thomas and I eloped," Rosemary announced knowing that surely that would be better than her mother had imagined; she wanted them to understand her choices. Her words were greeted by silence and for a moment she wasn't sure that her parents had heard her at first; it was when her mother released a wail that she realised that there was no going back now.

Victoria stumbled away from Robert and collapsed onto the couch in tears, she couldn't believe this had happened; she should have known that something like this was going to happen. In the year since Rosemary had started courting, Victoria had done everything in her power to make sure that her daughter didn't fall into this trap.

She could do so much better than a Shelby and Victoria wished that Rosemary would have fallen more for a baker like Colleen had and had stayed far away from Thomas Shelby. Robert stared at his wife for a moment before he turned around to face Rosemary and Thomas; he didn't like seeing his wife and he could only see one option to fix this.

"I think you should leave now," Robert said firmly, he couldn't deal with this when he was due to leave for war and he knew that everyone would be talking about this when the news broke. Victoria was a proud woman and Robert wished that Rosemary could see how much her decision had hurt her; they had always wanted better for her and that didn't involve marrying Thomas Shelby.

His words shocked her and Rosemary had hoped that it wouldn't come down to this; she felt like the ground beneath her had just disappeared knowing that this was it. Victoria couldn't bring herself to look up as Rosemary and Thomas walked out of the living room; she buried her head in her hands as she wept alone for a moment.

She jumped a little as Colleen wrapped her arms around her in comfort; she leant into her daughter glad that at least someone listened to her when it came to things like this. Stepping back out into the street, Rosemary felt numb as she realised that this could be the very last time that she stepped out of her childhood home.

The door was shut firmly behind them as she and Thomas stood in the street, neither of them having expected things to happen so quickly; they had at least hoped that Victoria and Robert would listen to them. Rosemary couldn't help but start crying, she hadn't thought they would just ask them to leave; she had wanted to explain her decision to them.

Wrapping his arms around Rosemary as she cried, Thomas held her close wishing that went better than it had; he had never wanted things to work out this way. He had even hoped that Robert and Victoria would come to see how much he cared about Rosemary and that he wanted the best for her.

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	7. Give Them Time

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.**

* * *

 **Chapter Seven: Give Them Time.**

Clutching at the cup of tea that Polly had handed her, Rosemary tried to wrap her head around how badly the meeting with her parents had gone; she had no idea how things had spiralled so badly. Of course, Rosemary had held no illusion that her parents would be upset about her marriage to Thomas but she had hoped even if it was silly that they would accept that she had married Thomas.

There was a war on and so many around them were making the same decisions, it made sense to marry Thomas when she had no idea what else the future might hold for them. The kitchen was silent and Rosemary wasn't sure what was worse right now; she knew that Thomas had left her at Polly's and she doubted he would be back anytime soon. Polly was sat across the table from her and neither of them had said anything since she had sat down; they both were lost deep in their thoughts about what the future held for them now.

"Have you thought much about what you will do now?" Polly asked, there were only a few days left before Thomas would leave for war and she knew that would leave Rosemary nearly alone. It wasn't going to be easy especially since they had barely been married for more than a day and Thomas would be leaving her for God knows how long. They kept saying the war would be over by Christmas but Polly didn't believe that for a moment; the newspapers were filled with lies as far as she was concerned about what was happening over there.

"Not really… I still have my job at the store and we planned to just stay living at Tommy's," Rosemary said looking at Polly, she couldn't imagine how things would work with Thomas gone but she was going to have to work that out quickly. Thomas would be leaving in three days and nothing would stop that, Rosemary would pray for his safe return and that of everyone else that went away.

Nodding her head, Polly sat back in her seat and hoped that would be enough especially with everything that would happen with the boys going away; they would be left behind to run things while they fought in the war. The sound of someone knocking on the front door confusing them both since they weren't expecting anyone; it was quiet outside and Polly knew if it was one of the family, they'd just come on in.

Getting to her feet, Polly headed for the front door to see who it was; she paused at the sight of one of Rosemary's younger sisters and the bags that sat at her feet. Pausing for a moment, Polly was unsure what to do especially after what she had heard about the argument had taken place; she looked back at Rosemary before signalling for her to come to the door.

"Yvette?" Rosemary asked surprised to see her younger sister, she hadn't expected to see anyone after what had happened that morning and she wondered what was going on here. Yvette offered her a small smile, she had volunteered to bring Rosemary her things now that she wasn't going to be living in the family home and living with Thomas instead.

It hadn't been easy especially with Colleen being her over helpful self, she had been trying to throw Rosemary's stuff out so that she and Peter could have her bedroom. Yvette had been the one to offer to take Rosemary's stuff, no matter what her sister had done; she didn't deserve to have her things thrown away like they meant nothing.

"I wanted to bring you your things," Yvette mumbled feeling awkward under the gaze of Polly Shelby, her mother had nothing to say about the woman and she knew that it wouldn't help now that Rosemary had married Thomas. A lump formed in Rosemary's throat as she looked down at the bags that contained her personal belongs, she was relieved to see that they hadn't been thrown out like she had expected them to be. There wasn't much and Rosemary could only imagine what would have happened to her things if Yvette hadn't brought them to her; she was sure that she wouldn't have seen them again.

"Congratulations on getting married," Yvette said wanting Rosemary to know that someone was happy for her even if their parents weren't happy right now. Yvette and Ellen had been upset to hear that their eldest sister had gotten married, not because of who she had married but the fact that they hadn't been there to watch it happen. They would have happily supported her decision to marry Thomas even against their parents' wishes; they would have loved to have seen her get married just like they had Colleen.

"Thank you," Rosemary said offering her a small smile, she wasn't sure what to expect from her family from now on; she would have to deal with the fall out sooner or later. There were bound to be whispers about what had happened and Rosemary wasn't sure what people would be saying; she wasn't going to change her mind about Thomas and her decision to marry him.

"Give them time… they're in shock right now," Yvette encouraged softly, they would need each other during the war and she doubted that their mother would stay mad when she would have to deal with managing the house alone. Colleen was far too wrapped up in her own world and she would have to deal with the fallout of the fact that Peter wouldn't be fighting in the war as was expected of men right now. Turning and heading down the street, Yvette hoped that things would work themselves out soon; she had a feeling that this war was going to change things for them in many ways.

* * *

Stepping into the house, Thomas pulled off his cap and hung it at the door before shrugging off his coat; it was nice to be home and he had been surprised to hear from Polly that Rosemary had come home. It had been a long day and things weren't easy especially with time running out before he left for war; he would be followed by John who was also being deployed for the war.

The small house smelled amazing and Thomas was surprised, this wasn't what he had been expecting when he returned home; his stomach grumbled at the smell. Heading towards the kitchen, Thomas paused at the sight of the meal that had been set out for them; it made him think about what life would be like if he didn't have to leave for war.

It allowed him to dream of the future that they would have and he couldn't help but smile at that; the idea of them having a couple of children that would run to the door to greet him when he returned home while Rosemary finished dinner. Thomas knew that, that thought would be the one to get him through the war that he was going to fight; he was determined to come home and see that happen.

"I made dinner," Rosemary said smiling, she didn't want to sit around and mope when their time was running out; Thomas wasn't going to be here for much longer and she didn't want to waste any time that they had left together. God only knew when they would be reunited and Rosemary would pray nightly for his safe return; she couldn't imagine what lay across the channel waiting for him.

"I'll just wash up," Thomas replied looking forward to the meal, he was starving and the idea of spending the evening with his wife thrilled him. Soon he would have to leave for war but right now he wanted to focus on his time with Rosemary.

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	8. Saying Goodbye

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.**

* * *

 **Chapter Eight: Saying Goodbye.**

Waking up the morning that he was due to leave for war, Thomas frowned realising that he was alone in his bed and there was no sign of Rosemary; her side of the bed was cold and he wondered where she had gone. Pushing back the covers, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and groaned knowing that this was not how he had wanted to spend his final moment at home.

Things had been quiet since their talk with her parents and Thomas was thankful for the time that he had gotten to share with his wife before he was forced to leave for the war. Climbing from his bed, Thomas padded out of the bedroom and started his search for his wife; he wanted to spend his remaining hours in Birmingham with her before he had to head for the train station. Heading downstairs, Thomas paused at the sound coming from the kitchen; he sighed knowing that would be the best place to look for Rosemary.

"You're meant to be sleeping in," Rosemary scolded him when he stepped into the kitchen, she had wanted to surprise him with breakfast and that couldn't happen if he was out of bed. The morning would be the last that they spent together for a while and Rosemary wanted it to be special; something that he could think about while he was away fighting.

"I'd rather be spending time with my wife," Thomas replied walking over to Rosemary and wrapping his arms around her from behind while she continued to work on breakfast. It wasn't going to be easy and Thomas was determined to write to Rosemary whenever he had the chance; it was going to be a long time before he saw her again, that he was sure.

"Promise me… you'll come home safe," Rosemary whispered trying to ignore the lump that was forming in her throat, she didn't want to spend the morning crying and ruin what time she had left with him. News had arrived the day before that one of their neighbours had lost a son only a week after him being shipped off to France to fight in this war.

Rosemary couldn't imagine becoming a widow so soon after marrying Thomas, things weren't meant to end that way for them and she feared what the future held for them with Thomas shipping out. There was silence at her words and Thomas knew that wasn't a promise that he could make; there was no telling what lay ahead for him as he left her behind but he would do his best to come home. Turning to face Thomas, Rosemary searched his blue eyes knowing that he wouldn't promise her; it wasn't something that he could do not knowing what was over there.

"I love you Rosie… and I will do everything in my power to come home to you," Thomas whispered taking her face in his hands, he searched her brown eyes before he kissed her. Moments like this would be what he fought for and Thomas prayed that it wouldn't be too long before they saw each other again.

The war was meant to be finished by Christmas but only a fool would believe such a thing and Thomas Shelby was no fool; he wasn't sure when things would be over but he was determined to make it home. Rosemary wrapped her arms around Thomas's neck as they kissed, she held him closer wanting to hold onto this moment forever.

Turning off the stove, Thomas quickly lifted Rosemary up and headed back towards their bedroom; they had a couple of hours before he was due at the train station so that he could leave. He was going to make the most of his time with Rosemary before they went, his family would be there as well to say their goodbyes and he wasn't looking forward to saying goodbye to any of them.

* * *

"Be good for Aunt Pol now," Thomas said ruffling Finn's hair as he stared down at his youngest brother, he was sure that his Aunt would be able to handle everything while the older Shelby brothers were away. Today him and John would leave and join Arthur fighting in the war and while that wasn't going to be easy; he could only hope that those left behind would be okay.

Standing on the train platform, Thomas couldn't help but think about what he would be leaving behind; he looked at Rosemary knowing that it wasn't going to be easy saying goodbye to her. Finn nodded his head before moving to stand beside his aunt, he didn't understand why his brothers had to leave and he was forced to remain in Birmingham with his aunt.

Ada was next to step forward and she threw her arms around her brother; she had already say goodbye to John and she had cried while doing so. She was frightened about what would happen while her brothers were gone, already news was coming back that boys from the area were being killed fighting for the country and weren't coming home.

"Be safe Tommy," Ada whispered into her brother's ear, she held him close for another moment before she stepped back and moved to take Finn's hand; she offered him a reassuring smile knowing that he didn't need to see her cry. Polly was next to say her goodbyes and her words were quiet in Thomas's ears while she whispered to him; she worried for her nephews and now that three of them were going away, it left her to run things.

Across the platform from where the Shelby family were saying their goodbyes to Thomas and John stood the Parker family all saying their goodbyes to Robert as he prepared to leave as well. Victoria was busy fussing over her husband as she made sure that he had everything that he would need for the trip that he was about to take.

Rosemary made no move to approach her parents, she doubted that she would be welcome to say her own goodbyes and she prayed for the safe return of her father; she hoped that when the war was over that they would be reunited. Turning her attention back to Thomas, she found her husband staring at her as Polly stepped back from saying her own goodbyes.

The two had said their goodbyes all morning and Rosemary wasn't sure that she could do so again; she didn't want to cry and she was afraid about what would happen when he was gone. Wrapping his arms around Rosemary, Thomas closed his eyes and held her close for a moment; he wanted to remember this moment and he would cherish every moment that he had gotten to call her his wife.

"I love you Rosie," Thomas whispered before giving her a quick kiss, the call to start boarding had been given and he had to leave now. Rosemary felt tears fill her eyes as he pulled away from her and moved to collect his bag so that he could get going; she was glad when Polly stood next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as Thomas walked away to board the train.

The Shelby family watched Thomas and John board the train and hoped that they would come home safe; the five of them would have to stick together and rely on one another while they were away. Freddie Thorne patted Thomas on the shoulder as they took their seats on the train, the two had known each other since they were children and Thomas knew that it would be good to have someone watching his back. The war was awaiting them and they would have to prepare for whatever came their way, the training that they would receive would prepare them for fighting in the war before they were shipped off to France.

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	9. The Unknown

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.**

* * *

 **Chapter Nine: The Unknown.**

"Any word from Tommy?" Ada asked hopefully, smiling at Rosemary; it had been nearly a month since her brothers had gone to war, and she was upset that none of them had written to her yet. Her eyes watched her sister-in-law knowing that Thomas leaving hadn't been easy for her especially since it had been so soon after their wedding and they had no idea when he would return.

"Not yet," Rosemary replied setting down some sandwiches on the table, the four Shelby women had come together for lunch and she was glad to be out of the house; it was strange being there without Thomas. It was too quiet for Rosemary's likening and she was going to have to get used to it; she just hoped that it wasn't going to be permanent.

Work was keeping her busy right now and Rosemary was thankful for that, she had even helped Polly with some paperwork since she had been left running things while the boys were gone. Rosemary didn't know much about the work that Thomas and his brothers did, however she was quickly learning the ropes to help Polly in any way that she could.

"I am sure he will write when he has the chance… war isn't something that can be put on hold," Polly mused, it wasn't like he was sitting around doing nothing while he was gone; he was fighting in a war and that was certainly going to keep him busy. Ada frowned, she didn't like waiting around and she wanted to hear from her brothers; she wanted to hear what they were doing and what it was like over in France. Things were boring here, and Ada wanted to hear all about what it was like in France, she couldn't imagine living anywhere else than in Birmingham and the street that she had grown up on.

"Did you hear a telegram arrived at the Kirkwoods?" Ada announced, the gossip was all over the street and she was quick to share what she had heard with her family. There was silence at her words and Ada didn't notice how pale Martha had become, a trembling hand sneaking under the table as she tried to stop herself from crying; she couldn't imagine what they were going through right now.

"I can't imagine one of them coming here, apparently Allison Kirkwood was screaming hysterically," Ada continued, she missed how quiet Rosemary and Martha had become at the idea of a telegram coming to their home. It was a sign that neither of them wanted, a sign that their husbands had been killed in action and neither of them wanted to think about that happening.

"Enough Ada," Polly interrupted stopping her, the younger girl frowning before she caught sight of her sisters-in-law and realising why her aunt had quietened her; she looked down at her hands, she hadn't meant to upset someone. No one spoke for a moment, all trying to shake the bad thoughts that had been brought forward by Ada's words about the Kirkwoods.

"We shall offer our deepest condolences to the Kirkwoods when we attend church… let us not forget that William was a wonderful man," Polly insisted getting to her feet, she didn't say another word before leaving the kitchen. It wasn't going to be easy and things would more than likely get worse before they got better but they could only pray that Arthur, Thomas and John would return safely from the war.

Rosemary sat down at the table and picked up a biscuit, she nibbled on it ignoring the uneasy twinge that followed; the telegrams seemed to be arriving quickly and she didn't know what she would do if she received one.

* * *

Leaning back in his bunk, Thomas looked down at the letter that he was trying to write and groaned; nothing seemed right and he hated that he couldn't find the words to say to those back in Birmingham. Nothing he had written sounded right and Thomas couldn't bring himself to share how bad things truly were; he couldn't share much about where he was and what he was doing with them.

It did help that he was with Arthur and John, it wasn't much of a consolation, but it was better than worrying what was happening with his brothers while the war raged around them. The downside was that he also had to deal with his father-in-law and Robert didn't seem prepared to forgive what had happened just yet.

Thomas did his best to stay out of his way while they were at training and while they were in their tent; there were ten of them shoved in there and Thomas knew most of them from the streets back home. Training was rushed, the food was terrible, most nights he collapsed into bed; his limbs aching, and he knew that soon they would be off to France. His uniform was itchy, and Thomas would be glad when he never had to wear it again; he couldn't imagine when he would be able to take it off permanently.

Looking to where John was, Thomas smiled spotting his younger brother writing a letter to his own wife; he missed being at home with Martha and their children and hoped to see them soon. The sudden sound of shouting outside of the tent disrupted the peace that had fallen over the tired soldiers and Thomas frowned wondering who was stupid enough to start a fight here.

The last thing that any of them wanted was to be forced to start doing drills because some idiot had upset the commanding officers again; they were tired enough as it was. getting to his feet. Thomas headed out of the tent and frowned at the sight that greeted him; something had happened, and no one looked happy about it.

"What's going on?" Thomas asked the nearest man, his blue eyes sweeping the gathering as men started to head into their own tents; there were so many of them here and they were packed in like sardines. The man paused and looked at him, he looked back at the commanding officers that were walking through camp; he couldn't believe what was happening.

"We're getting shipped out in the morning," the man told him before moving away, his words make Thomas frown; they hadn't had much training and he worried that people would die because of this. The training had been far too quick for his liking and Thomas doubted that everyone would be prepare for the fighting that was happening on the other side of the channel.

Slowly moving back into his tent, Thomas suddenly found inspiration for something to write; he didn't know what would happen over the coming months, but he knew that there was something that he needed to do. It was no secret to those around them that news was coming back of men being killed in action and there was no escaping the fact that it could be any of them next.

Sitting down on his bunk, Thomas picked up his pen and paper to start writing; he hoped that this letter would never need to be sent. This was the letter that he wanted delivered home if something happened to him; he would carry it with him until he was done with this war then it would either be delivered upon his death or come home with him.

Thomas started to write, everything that he wished that he could say to Rosemary; his hopes for their future together and what he hoped for her should anything happen to him. He wanted her to have this letter in the event that something happened to him.

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	10. Wish You Where Here

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.**

* * *

 **Chapter Ten: Wish You Where Here.**

Stepping into her home, Rosemary couldn't wrap her head around what she had just been told; it didn't seem real and she almost wished that this entire thing was a dream of something to come. It had been a strange few days and Rosemary knew that there was no escaping what came next; it wasn't going to be easy, especially with no news of when Thomas would be coming home. Setting her bag down on the dresser that was near the front door; Rosemary felt like she had stepped into a dream and she closed her eyes wishing that things were different.

"There you are… I was wondering where you had gotten to, Ada needs some new dresses and you said you would help me," Polly said stepping out of the kitchen, she had come around in hopes of getting an early start since there was so much to do. She had no idea what the young girl did with her dresses but there wasn't enough money now that the boys were off fighting in war to be constantly replacing her clothes.

There was no sign of the war ending and with Christmas only a month away, they were going to have to deal with the fact that they wouldn't be expecting the boys home this year. Turning to look at Rosemary, Polly stopped talking upon realising that something wasn't right; her heart pounded as she took a nervous step towards her.

"Rosemary?" Polly asked spotting the look on the younger woman's face, her stomach dropped as she watched her to start to cry and she feared just what had happened while she was here alone. They had talked about Rosemary coming back to the main house, but the young woman had decided against it wanting everything to be perfect for when Thomas came home.

Barely able to hold back, Rosemary burst into tears and clapped a hand over her mouth to quieten herself; she knew that she was being stupid, but she hadn't thought this would happen. Polly had her arms around Rosemary as quickly as she could, she held her close while Rosemary cried in her arms; she did her best to offer her comfort, not sure what had happened to cause this to happen.

"What am I going to do? Tommy isn't here, how can I do this without him?" Rosemary cried, she hadn't been prepared for this to happen much less while Thomas was away in Europe fighting in a war. There was no telling when he would be home and it could be years before she truly saw her husband again; and that was if he wasn't killed while he was there.

Polly was confused listening to Rosemary ramble, she was frightened that something had happened to Thomas and that she hadn't been told about it. Rosemary was Thomas's wife and she would be the first to know if anything ever happened to his nephew while he was fighting in the war; it could arrive any time without warning.

"I'm pregnant," Rosemary whispered sharing the news that she had received not too long ago, she had been unwell recently and when she had started to show; she had known that she had to see a doctor. It was quiet for a moment and Polly only held Rosemary tighter, it was a blessing and she was sure of that; she just hoped that Thomas would get to meet his child.

"You will do it for him… and that child will be worth it," Polly insisted, it wasn't going to be easy especially with money being so tight, but she was sure they would work something out. Mary had been kind enough to offer Ada a job with her to earn some money, but it wasn't going to be much. Resting a hand on her stomach, Rosemary wished that things had worked out differently; she wished that she was able to share this news with Thomas face to face.

* * *

Wiping the sweat from his face, Thomas squinted around the tunnel that he was working on and wondered just how far they had tunnelled since he had arrived in France. It had been weeks of digging in the dark with no sign of stopping, morale had been low between the men especially when it became clear that the predictions that they would be home by Christmas were false. Looking around the dimly lit tunnel, Thomas's eyes swept across the men that worked beside him; it wasn't easy work and there seemed to be no end in sight for any of them.

The days were long, and he wanted nothing more than to leave this behind and go home to his wife and family; he missed them, and he would give anything to be at home right now. Getting back to work, Thomas could only think about how things would work out; there was no sign of peace being reached and things only seemed to get worse.

Thomas wasn't sure how much longer he worked before the call came for them to finish for the day; the slow move out of the tunnel only reminding time just how far they had come. It wasn't far before they were stepping out into the trench, it was dark, and Thomas often wondered if he would ever get to see the sun again.

It had been weeks of waking before the sun came up to go down into those tunnels and then coming back up to the moon above them again; the mud seemed to get deeper each time they returned. Heading slowly to their beds for the night, Thomas listened to the grumbling around him; no one was happy with how this war was going. They had been promised quick returns home yet there was no end in sight and the only way people did return home was with bits of them missing or in a box so that their families could bury them.

"Shelby… letter," an officer called to him as he walked passed, and Thomas perked at the idea of news from home, it was always something that cheered him up after a day in the tunnels. He received letters weekly from his family and Thomas did his best to write back to them when he had the chance; not that he could share much about the nightmare that he worked in.

Taking the letter, Thomas headed straight for his bunk wanting to relax a little before he went to sleep; no doubt that he would be woken early in a few hours' time to head back into the tunnels. Flopping down on his uncomfortable bunkbed, Thomas slowly opened the letter and smiled when he saw his wife's hand writing; her letters always made him feel better.

* * *

 _'My Dearest Tommy,_

 _I wonder often how you are getting on. I would be so relieved to get a letter from you. I can't help feeling a bit anxious and I know how you must have felt darling when you did not get my letters for so long._

 _Of course, I know you will write as soon as you can, but the time seems so dull and weary without any news of you, if only this war was over, and we were together again. It will be one day I suppose._

 _I received some wonderful news this day, I am pregnant, and I do so hope that you will be home in time to see our first child born. I will pray for your quick and safe return to us. I wish you where here, I love you with all my heart and I will see you soon my love._

 _Rosie'_

* * *

Staring at the letter, Thomas reread the last paragraph as a smile slowly started to form on his face; he couldn't believe it, he had never thought it would happen so quickly especially since he was France right now. His brother stepped into their shared with several other men, it wasn't cramped conditions, but they at least had their only tiny space that they could call their own.

"What is it?" John asked seeing the look on Thomas's face, he looked almost happy and that wasn't something that anyone saw anymore. Things weren't getting better in the war, they were getting worse; so many were being injured or sent home dead, the fact that this was meant to be over soon didn't seem possible. They had all been told that they would be home by Christmas, a promise that wasn't going to be kept as the fighting continued to get worse and there was no true end in sight.

"It's from Rosie…" Thomas said looking to his younger brother, it was news to be share and they could do with some good news right now; he was sure that the fighting would be done by the time the baby was due. Rosemary couldn't be more than three months along and while there was no way that the war would be over by Christmas; Thomas felt hopeful that maybe, just maybe he would be home for when the baby was due.

"She's pregnant," Thomas announced unable to stop smiling, he had never really thought about having children but with Rosemary, things just seemed to fall into place and he couldn't imagine them not having a big family. The bunker seemed silent for a moment at the news before everyone who had heard him started to congratulate him on the fact he was going to be a father.

The news was just what they needed, and Thomas was sure that the news that he was going to be a father was going to spread quickly; he was determined to make it back to his wife and unborn child. He shook hands with every man that shared the bunker with him, the smile on his face growing ever larger at the idea of being a father; he could just picture the child now.

The little boy would look so much like him, but he would have Rosemary's beautiful brown eyes; he would be a strapping lad and Thomas was sure that he would make him proud. Standing back watching the scene, Robert frowned at the news that his eldest daughter was expecting her first child; they'd not had the chance to make amends before he had left for France.

It had been further upsetting when she hadn't even come to him to say goodbye as he left; he had seen her at the station with Thomas and his family saying goodbye. Robert couldn't understand what Rosemary saw in the Shelby boy, she could have found someone better; she deserved better than the rat hole that Thomas Shelby called a home.

He had known the man's father and Arthur Shelby Sr. had walked out on his family years ago and had been a hustler, a thief, and a whore-monger; something that Robert could only see the man's sons turning out to be like. Rosemary was going to have her eyes opened if Thomas returned home to her and her child; she was going to get her heartbroken, that Robert was sure of.

Heading out of the bunker, Robert didn't look back; he knew that Victoria would have to be told before news spread around their home, they had enough to deal with since she had gotten married. People whispered about the fact that they hadn't been there to see their daughter to married and the fact that she had married a Shelby. Victoria was happy to ignore the whispers for now, she was focusing on the impending birth of Colleen's child that was due soon; they would be fine even if things didn't improve.

* * *

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	11. A Day of Peace

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.**

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven: A Day of Peace.**

"They were meant to be home by now," Ada whispered staring at the tree that sat in the living room, she hadn't been able to hide her disappointment all day that her brothers weren't home from war. Whenever she had heard a noise outside, she had looked towards the front door to see if it was her brothers returning; however, every time she had been disappointed as there was still no sign of them.

Her words were greeted with silence and Ada didn't have to look to know that her words had been agreed with; she wasn't the only one that disliked the fact that they weren't home. Rosemary didn't look up from the shirt that she was mending, she wished with all her heart that Thomas was here, and she hated that the war was dragging on.

Everyday there was more news of men dying in France and there seemed to be no end in sight for the fighting that they had been promised would end by Christmas. Clearing her throat, Rosemary tried to keep the tears at bay while she worked; she couldn't believe that things were working out like this.

It had never crossed her mind that she would be expecting her first child while her husband was away fighting in some war; she wanted him home more than anything and she prayed for him every night. It was hard to believe that he had been gone for four months now, it seemed strange that she went home to their empty house and she found it hard every time that she did so.

"Do you think that they will ever come home?" Ada asked softly, she feared that her brothers would never return; her father had abandoned them, and her mother was dead, she didn't want to lose anyone else. It kept her awake some nights that there could be a knock at the door at any moment to tell them that one of her brothers wouldn't be coming home.

"Ada," Polly scolded, she didn't want to be thinking of anything like that and she hated that they had no real idea about what was happening in the war; anything that could be details of war was crossed out when the boys sent letters home. It was hard enough to handle everything without fearing that they might never see Arthur, Thomas or John again because of this retched war.

"I hear your sister is due soon," Polly said changing the subject and looking to Rosemary, it wouldn't be long now before she was an aunt and she was sure that everyone would hear about it. People whispered about Peter enough because of his refusal to go fight in the war; they called him a coward and just last week he had been pelted with vegetables while he walked down the street. Colleen might have wanted her husband by her side, but she was quickly learning that people weren't as understanding of her reasons as her family were.

"She is," Rosemary replied, if she remembered correctly her sister was due the first week of January; she wasn't sure what would happen when that time came. Things had been strained since she had married Thomas and Rosemary doubted that was going to change anytime soon; she doubted that she would even be told when her sister had delivered the baby. Victoria hadn't said a word to her since she had told her parents that she had married, and Rosemary doubted that she cared that she was pregnant.

Turning her focus back to what she was doing, Rosemary wondered if her mother had heard about her pregnancy yet; she had considered going to see her mother and sisters when she had found out about her pregnancy, but she decided against it. She didn't feel ready to see them and she doubted that they would forgive her for marrying Thomas anytime soon.

* * *

"He's staring again," John muttered glaring across the trench at Robert, it was hard to believe that they had been here for four months now and nothing seemed to have changed and there was no sign of the war stopping anytime soon. They were meant to be home now, they were meant to be reunited with their families by now and yet they were still here fighting a war that never seemed to end.

Thomas shrugged his shoulders, he had stopped caring what his father-in-law was doing and he was tired of the looks that Robert seemed to offer him whenever they were in the same location. He did his best to stay out of Robert's way, the last thing that he wanted to do was fight with him; the news would only upset Rosemary and used against him in some way.

"I don't see what his problem is… at least you're here helping with the war effort, what's Peter doing?" John mumbled annoyed, he honestly didn't see what the problem was, and it wasn't like Thomas actively sort out trouble or was anything like their father. Thomas did his best for his family and had been nothing short of a gentleman when it came to Rosemary; he cared for her and anyone who truly knew him could see it.

Arthur nodded in agreement with what John had said, they were surprised that Thomas was acting so calm when it came to the situation at hand. He guessed that Thomas didn't want to give Victoria or Robert any more reason to dislike him; he was going to be a father in a matter of months and that was scary enough right now.

"It doesn't matter… besides, they can't hate me forever," Thomas replied focusing on the latest letter that he had received from Rosemary, he smiled as she told him about how she had felt their baby move and she had started to set up the nursery. Every part of him wished that he could be there to help her, it was hard to think that there was a big chance that he would miss the birth of his child. The sound of a commotion snapped Thomas from his thoughts, his hands resting on his gun as his eyes swept the trench; no one dared move as their commanding officer hurried past them.

"What's going on?" John asked sitting up, the sound was coming from no man's land and he was worried that the German's were up to something; he clutched at his weapon praying that this wasn't the end. Thomas slowly pushed himself up and peeked over the top of the trench, his eyes widening, and he saw what was happening and he felt relief fill him slightly.

There was both sides of the war coming into no man's land and there was no fighting; it was odd to see such peace here when the last few months had been so harsh. Slowly everyone seemed to make their way over into no man's land and greet the men that they had been fighting against; there seemed to be no anger or hatred between the gathering of men as they all greeted one another.

Soon there was a game of football, exchanges of food and gifts happening; the dead from both sides were collected allowing them to be buried. It was like a peace had fallen over them and the ceasefire was welcomed by all, it was nice not to have to worry about fighting or digging instead they were just men celebrating Christmas.

Thomas patted his brothers on the shoulder, today was a good day and it gave him hope that soon they would be able to go home. No one wanted to be here fighting and surely if they could have this day of peace then they would surely be finished with the war soon and they would be able to return home soon and be with their families.

Little did they all know that the war would last for another four years.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Okay. I am curious if you guys want me to cover the entire WWI or after Rosemary gives birth would you like me to jump forward to the end of the war?**

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	12. Wishful Thinking

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.**

 **Some of you will have noticed that several chapters have disappeared, I decided to rewrite and explore what happened during the years that I originally planned to skip since the story felt lacking without them.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve: Wishful Thinking.**

The news that Colleen had given birth to a baby boy arrived early that morning and it left Rosemary unsure what she should do; it had been months since she had seen spoken with any of her family. It was something that had not improved in the time that Thomas had been away at war and Rosemary doubted very much that things would change if she didn't do something about it.

Walking down the street towards the shop, Rosemary shivered wrapping her coat tighter around herself as she hurried down the sidewalk; the street feeling emptier than usual. The Christmas rush had certainly gone now that it was January and New Year had been a rather quiet one while the men were away fighting in a war that was meant to be done by now.

Rosemary tried not to think about it, she wondered more and more when she would see Thomas again and if he would be home in time to see the baby born. Her pregnancy was moving along nicely and she was thankful for the fact that she had Martha and Polly to help her through this now; she wasn't sure what she would do without them.

Each day she felt her baby move made her smile and she wished that Thomas was here to experience it all with her; she was sure that he would be a wonderful father to their child. Reaching the shop, Rosemary quickly hurried inside pleased to find herself stepping into the warm and to see her friends; she offered a smile to a lady who stepped out of the shop.

Things were still a little slow at the shop and Rosemary was more than thankful for any distraction or work that Mary could offer instead of sitting at home and waiting around. The house was so empty now that Thomas was gone and Rosemary found it hard to be there when she knew that there was a chance that this would be where she raised her child alone while she waited for Thomas to return home to her.

"Morning," Rosemary greeted Mary, she removed her coat and moved to hang it by the door as she eyed the dress that her friend was working on; it was a beautiful wedding gown that they'd had for awhile now. The wedding was of course postponed until the groom returned from fighting in the war, if he even returned at all; now the dressed remained at the shop until the bride knew what was going to happen.

"How was your doctor's appointment?" Mary asked setting down her needles and moving to greet Rosemary, she had been surprised when her friend had announced that she was with child but it was very welcome news. With everything going on, there was little to be happy about in Small Heath and Mary knew that many would receive bad news before this war was over and she prayed that things would end better for Rosemary.

"It went well… the doctor is sure that I shall deliver in early May," Rosemary replied trying not to think about what would happen should Thomas remain away when she went into labour. The fact that her husband had been gone for such a time made Rosemary wonder daily when this war would end and allow him to come home to her; she was frightened for what might happen if she didn't survive the birth. Her child could be left without both their parents, she knew that Polly would set up should the worst happen but she feared that Thomas would never get to see their child.

"I heard that you have a nephew… Robert after your father according to Mrs Perkins," Lily said smiling, she knew that any birth was a joyous occasion and she had seen people heading to Rosemary's parents house to see the new baby. She was aware that things weren't good between Rosemary and her family, something that wasn't going to be fixed if Rosemary continued to avoid them; Lily was sure that if they just talked that things would get better.

Rosemary nodded her head, she had heard that too and she was surprised that her sister had made such an announcement with everything that was going on. The fact that Peter remained Birmingham instead of signing up to fight, still wasn't sitting right with quite a few people on Small Heath; they were disgusted that the coward remained here with them.

"Are you planning on going to see him?" Lily pushed hoping that her friend would say yes, she was sure that the birth of a child would soften even the hardest hearts. Rosemary looked away from her friend and tried to find something else to focus on, she had considered it but she doubted very much that her sister would welcome her to do so. Sensing that Rosemary was comfortable with Lily's question, Katherine was quick to change the subject; she didn't understand why Lily had to keep pushing things like this.

"Have you had any more letters from Thomas?" Katherine asked moving across the room as she stepped away from the shirts that she was mending; she was sure that Rosemary's husband would be thrilled with news of her pregnancy. Letters from Thomas were something that Rosemary cherished and Katherine wished that she had someone special to write to like that; she was a little jealous that Rosemary had found someone to spend her life with.

"Not since just after Christmas," Rosemary told her, she had received just one letter from him expressing his happiness that she was with child and his hopes that he would be home soon to see them. His letters were few but she wrote to him whenever she had the chance, she wanted him to know everything that was happening while she was here and he was wherever he was in Europe.

* * *

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Thomas paused for a moment to catch his breath as he leant on his shovel; the lanterns did little to light the tunnel that he worked in alongside Danny Owen and Freddie. The work was not easy and Thomas was sure that things weren't going to get any easier, he had been doing this for months on end and he doubted that the end was anywhere in sight.

The only light that he seemed to have in this monotonous routine that he was stuck in where the letters that he received from home; he received letters often enough from his family but it was Rosemary that sent the most. Thomas only wished that he could write home more so that she didn't have worry about him so much; it couldn't be good for the baby and he couldn't wait to hold his child in his arms for the first time.

"What are you thinking about?" Danny asked seeing that his friend had stopped, he paused on his own digging for a moment to look back at him while Freddie continued to dig. They were covered in dirt and things were silent around them as they worked, it had been the same for days and nothing seemed to break the silence that they often found themselves in. They always spoke quietly fearing what would happen if they were discovered or overheard by enemy tunnellers; it was something that could happen at any moment.

"Home," Thomas murmured with a frown, there was no telling when they would see their homes again; he just wanted to be home in time for the birth of his first child. Closing his blue eyes for a moment, Thomas prayed that he would be home in time for his child's birth in May; however, he got the feeling that wasn't going to happen.

* * *

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	13. Late Night Run-Ins

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.**

 **Some of you will have noticed that several chapters have disappeared, I decided to rewrite and explore what happened during the years that I originally planned to skip since the story felt lacking without them.**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen: Late Night Run-Ins.**

"James! Steven! Will you stop tormenting your sister," Martha shouted after her sons as she set down a cup of tea in front of Rosemary, she was struggling to manage the three children while her husband was away. Margaret toddled into the room where her mother and aunt were seated having lunch; her dress dirty as she scampered away from the mess that her older brothers were making. Things hadn't been easy since their father left for war and Martha wished that John would return soon; she had no idea how to manage them while he wasn't home.

"Sorry about that, they're a right handful sometimes," Martha apologised offering a weak smile to Rosemary, she was exhausted after spending the day trying to tame the boys and stop them from being destructive. It was rare that she had the chance to sit down and she relax, she found herself having far too much to do and the boys weren't calming down.

Rosemary smiled at that, she liked coming to see Martha even if her friend didn't have much time to sit and chat with her; she could only imagine that the same would happen to her when her baby arrived. She found herself thinking more about what her own child would be like as her pregnancy continued; she could hardly believe that things had moved so quickly. It didn't seem that long ago that she was marrying Thomas and now he was off fighting in a war while she waited for him to come home.

"It's fine, I will probably be the same when this little one comes," Rosemary replied smiling, she sipped on her tea as she thought about her baby and what would happen when they arrived. Martha nodded her head, she doubted that any child with Shelby blood would be easy to handle; she could only imagine what a child of Thomas would be like.

"Do you have any idea what you might be having?" Martha asked remembering how she'd had a feeling that Margaret would be a girl when she was carrying her; it had felt different from when she was expecting James and Steven. She was sure that Rosemary may have an inkling of what she might be having, even if it was only slight; even if many would think that she was having a boy.

"Not really," Rosemary replied shrugging, she knew that most said that they had an inkling of what they would have but she hadn't felt anything like that. As long as her child was happy and healthy that was all that mattered to her, boy or girl; she was sure that she would love them unconditionally; she just wished that Thomas would be back by then. There was no news of when the war might end and since the expected date of the end had come and gone; no one was sure just when the men would return to war if they did at all.

"Well there's still time… you have a couple more months before they're due," Martha encouraged, she was excited that there was going to be a new baby and for once it wasn't her that was having it. She had been the only Shelby wife for so long and she'd had all three of her children in a very close time-scale and she knew that she was glad not to be pregnant now.

The idea of having one of her children while John was away wasn't something that Martha had wanted; she liked having her husband close when she was pregnant. In the four years that she had been with John, things had been better than she had expected; she could hardly believe that she had been blessed with such a wonderful man and that they had three wonderful children so far. She hoped that Rosemary would be so lucky with her own marriage, she feared just what the war might hold for her and her family.

* * *

"I'll see you tomorrow," Rosemary said hugging Martha as she prepared to leave, she had helped her put the children to bed before she left and she was sure that her sister-in-law would be thankful for some peace and quiet while she cleaned up. Martha nodded her head before taking a step back so that Rosemary could make the walk back to her own home; it wasn't far but it was getting late and she didn't wish to keep her.

Starting her walk, Rosemary tightened her coat around her as she made her way down the street away from Martha's front door. The cold evening air made her walk just a little quicker as she hurried down the street, she didn't want to stay out in this cold weather and she didn't wish to linger about.

Despite the fact that most of the men had gone to fight in the war, there were still a few unsavoury people around and the last thing that she wished to happen was for her to bump into one of them. Rosemary doubted that even the fact that she was a Shelby now would be enough to scare off anyone with the wrong intentions especially with the men away fighting.

Rounding the last corner towards her home, Rosemary nearly bumped into the person that was hurrying in her direction; she stumbled slightly as she came to a complete stop. Her blue eyes quickly latching onto the face of the woman that stood before her; her stomach turning lightly and her mouth went dry not having expecting this. Victoria Parker was on the wrong side of Small Heath and Rosemary had no idea what might have brought her mother down here; she was sure that she would have been at home helping Colleen with her baby.

"Mother?" Rosemary squeaked not sure what else to say, she hadn't seen her mother in months since she had announced that she had married Thomas. They had kept their distance especially when Robert had gone off to war at the same time as Thomas; she hadn't wanted to fight with her parents on what could have been the last time that she saw her father.

Victoria blinked staring at Rosemary, a lump in her throat as she stared at her eldest daughter who she hadn't seen for many months; she hesitated for a moment as her eyes caught on the bump that was barely hidden by her coat. There rumours had reached her that she was going to be a grandmother again by Rosemary but she had hoped that her daughter would come to her and tell her instead of hearing about it from other people.

It was silent for a moment as Victoria stared at her daughter, there was so much that she wished to say but she had no idea how to express any of it. They had not parted on good terms when she had turned her back on Rosemary, she had been so angry and upset that she had lashed out and there was no taking that back now. Tears filled her eyes as she thought about everything that she had missed, she so wanted to make things right but she doubted that there was anything that she could say that would fix things.

Before she could make a fool of herself in the middle of the street, Victoria quickly hurried away as the tears started to fall; she didn't dare look back knowing that she had brought this on herself. Her pride had cost her a chance of being at her eldest daughter's wedding and she truly didn't feel like she deserved the chance to make things right; she wished that Robert was here to help her now.

Watching her mother leave, Rosemary couldn't help but wonder what she could have said to stop her from fleeing; she didn't want things to remain this way. With the impending birth of her child, Rosemary found herself wanting her mother at her side but she felt that wasn't possible.

* * *

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	14. Stepping Up

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.**

 **Some of you will have noticed that several chapters have disappeared, I decided to rewrite and explore what happened during the years that I originally planned to skip since the story felt lacking without them.**

* * *

 **Chapter Fourteen: Stepping Up.**

"How are you feeling?" Polly asked setting a cup of tea before Rosemary, she knew that this wasn't the most idea situation but there was little that they could do about it with the boys so far away. Rosemary's pregnancy had been something that had come as a surprise and Polly had to admit that she was impressed with how the younger woman was dealing with all of this. The very idea that Thomas might not make it home was something that neither of them had discussed and Polly doubted that it hadn't crossed Rosemary's mind since he had gone off to war.

"I am well," Rosemary assured her, she had been surprised by Polly's sudden invite for tea but she was happy to come and see her; it was better than being stuck in the house alone on her day off. There wasn't that much work at the store these days and Rosemary found herself spending time home alone trying to prepare for the birth of her first child.

Bumping into her mother had brought up feelings that Rosemary hadn't been expecting, she wished that things had gone down better when she had announced her marriage to Thomas. Hiding her wedding from her parents had been wrong and she would admit that, she had been frightened that they might try and stop her from marrying Thomas.

Her father had asked them to leave the house in hopes of giving them all time to think before someone said something rash and their disapproval of Thomas hadn't helped. Rosemary cursed herself for not having the guts to go up to her parents on the day that Thomas had departed for the war so that she could bid her father farewell.

That fact would haunt her forever, she didn't know what she would do if he didn't come back from war so that they could make amends. Polly sipped on her tea and stared at Rosemary, she had put a lot of thought into this and if she wasn't desperate then she wouldn't be considering it; she needed help and there was no one else she could trust with this. Arthur, Thomas and John were away fighting in the war, Ada was doing what she could, Martha had her hands full trying to manage the children while her husband was away and Finn was much too young to be involved in this.

"I need help running the business," Polly said firmly, she knew it was a lot to ask and she was sure that Thomas would throw a fit if he knew what she was doing but there was no one else that she could trust with this. Rosemary was a Shelby now and with work slow at the shop, she was free most days and the extra money wouldn't hurt with the baby on the way.

"It's not much work… just running the office and doing some filing," Polly informed her, she had been left in-charge while the boys were away and she was sure that it wasn't anything too stressful for her. Rosemary blinked a little taken back that Polly was asking for her help, she had assumed that she would turn to Ada or Martha instead of her first.

"Ada's taking some nursing classes and does what she can… Martha, well you've seen how busy she is with all those children," Polly continued clutching at her cup as she stared at Rosemary, she knew this was a big ask but she was sure that she was making the right decision. With an extra set of hands, Polly would be able to work on things that would make more money for them; something that Rosemary would certainly need when she had the baby.

"Just tell me what you need me to do," Rosemary said with a nod, she was happy to help and it wasn't like being a seamstress was bringing in much money right now.

* * *

Staring down at the letter that he was writing, Thomas frowned trying to think of something that he could say to his wife; he couldn't believe how long it had been since he had last seen her. The months since he had come away to France hadn't been easy and seemed to drag especially now that they all knew that this war wasn't going to be over as quickly as anyone had thought.

Leaning against the side of the tunnel that he had been digging, Thomas closed his eyes as he tried to picture what Rosemary would look like now; he wondered how big she had gotten with her pregnancy. He wished for nothing more than the chance to return home to her, he hated that they had been parted for so long already and there was no end in sight.

"Any news from Rosemary?" Freddie asked sitting down across from Thomas, he leaned his head back against the wall as he stared at his friend. It truly had surprised him how devoted Thomas seemed to his wife, he had never seen his friend like this before and Freddie had to admit that he was rather jealous of the fact that he had found someone. Letters always seemed to arrive for Thomas from his wife and family, they seemed never ending while Freddie barely received any; he almost wished that he had married before coming away to war like many of those around him.

"Not recently. Things have been rather quiet," Thomas murmured, he loved reading about all the new things that she was experiencing with her pregnancy and he wished that he was there to experience it with her. The war might not have reached home but the affects were still there, Rosemary wrote of how little work she had now that so many men were away fighting. Ignoring the itch that his clothes created, Thomas jotted down what he could about his days here; he knew most of his words would be crossed out if he revealed too much.

"When's the baby due again?" Freddie asked curiously, he had never thought that Thomas would be the type to settle down and start a family; he had always assumed that he would spend his days as a single man. After everything that had happened with Thomas's father and how he had walked out on his family; there had always been a part of Thomas that had always been responsible for his younger siblings.

"Early May," Thomas replied thinking about how quickly that was approaching, he very much doubted that he would be home when his first child would be born. Tiredly closing his eyes, Thomas couldn't help but think of his child, he hoped that they got Rosemary's beautiful eyes; he was looking forward to going home to his family when this nightmare was over.

"Not long then… doubt we'll be back home," Freddie mumbled softly, though Thomas still heard him and he had to agree; he wished it wasn't true and he could return home for the birth of his child but it wasn't possible. The two of them were silent as they thought about home, it seemed such a long time since they had been there and the war claimed more and more lives around them.

Thomas looked down at the letter, his fingers brushing against the material that he held wishing that he had more to write to her; he wished that he could tell her about what was happening here. However, orders were orders and there was little that he could say to her that wouldn't be crossed out; they wanted people at home to think that the war was going well.

Looking down the tunnel, Thomas stuffed his letter back into his pocket as he got back to his feet; he had to get back to work and he knew that there was little that could be done by sitting around, it wasn't going to get him home any quicker.

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	15. The Newest Shelby

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.**

 **Some of you will have noticed that several chapters have disappeared, I decided to rewrite and explore what happened during the years that I originally planned to skip since the story felt lacking without them.**

* * *

 **Chapter Fifteen: The Newest Shelby.**

Hurrying down the street, Polly moved as quickly as she could in the rain; her coat huddled around her as she went and she ignored anyone who attempted to get in her way knowing that she couldn't be late. The news had come as a bit of a surprise and she certainly hadn't been expecting it this late in the evening; she had just been climbing into bed when the knock had come on her door to tell her.

There was no way that she could miss it and she could only imagine what Rosemary was going through right now; it was her first after all and they were never easy. The only regret remained that Thomas still wasn't back from war and Polly could only imagine how he would feel when he had to read about the birth of his first child via a letter. Finally reaching the street where Rosemary lived, Polly was more than relieved to find the door open a little so she didn't have to knock; she hurried her way along and started to remove her coat before she was even inside the doorway.

Quickly hanging it up, Polly headed up the stairs towards the bedroom where the midwife was attending to Rosemary while Mary held her hand tightly; her encouraging words doing little to help her friend. Mary almost looked relieved at the sight of Polly, she stepped aside to allow Polly to take her place knowing that she would be much better at this than she was.

"Nice deep breathes now Rosemary," Polly instructed glad that she had made it, she wiped the hair stuck to her forehead out of the way. There was no telling how long the labour could go on for, the baby could arrive anytime between now and tomorrow; she just hoped that there wouldn't be any complications for either mother or child.

The last thing that Polly wanted to do was have to write to Thomas and tell him that he had lost either his wife or his newborn child; it would break his heart that she was sure. Rosemary nodded her head, she hadn't thought that this day would come so quickly and she hated that she wouldn't get to share it with Thomas; she had prayed nightly that he would be home for this moment.

However, it seemed that her prayers had gone unanswered and she would have to face this without her husband; she wondered if he would even get to meet their child when they were born. It wasn't long before the midwife told them it was time for Rosemary to start pushing; her hand held on tightly to Polly's as she started to push her baby into the world.

Gritting her teeth, Rosemary did as she was instructed as she pushed; she couldn't wait to hold them in her arms and she hoped that they looked like Thomas. It wasn't long before the cries filled the air and Rosemary collapsed back onto her bed; she allowed Polly to wipe away the sweat from her face before her baby was put into her arms.

"It's a healthy baby girl Mrs Shelby," the midwife said once the baby was safely in her arms, she moved back to make sure that the placenta was safely delivered and intact. Polly stared down at the newest member of the Shelby family and grinned, this little one was going to have her father wrapped around her little finger when he finally meet her. There was no doubt about it, Polly was sure this little one would be as beautiful as her mother when she was older; she could only imagine what Thomas would be like with any suitor came a calling.

"What are you going to call her?" Polly asked peeking down at the beautiful little girl, she was adorable and she wished that Thomas was here to experience this. Rosemary swallowed, she had never thought that she would be in this position and naming her daughter alone.

* * *

Staring down at the letter that had just been handed to him, Thomas couldn't bring himself to open it; he knew what this letter was and he wanted nothing more than to avoid it a little longer. The fact that the war had dragged on for so long had all but guaranteed that he made missed the birth of his child; he had wanted nothing more than to be there when it happened.

Turning the letter over in his hands, Thomas took a deep breath before he opened it; he found himself holding his breath as he stared down at the letter that had been sent by his aunt. Polly's writing made him almost a little disappointed that it wasn't from Rosemary, he guessed she had been rather busy since she had given birth to their child.

His eyes slowly took in the writing from his aunt and his stomach filled at the news that he was the father of a little girl; it was unexpected but not unwelcome news. A small part of him had hoped that it would be a boy, he knew what to do with boys and he had helped raised Finn once their father had walked out; he wasn't sure what to do with a girl. He had always found Ada rather annoying and he was worried just how he would handle a daughter especially if she was anything like her mother; he was going to have his hands full driving off suitors.

"What news from home?" Arthur asked seeing his brother reading a letter, he sat down close to him in their trench and he hoped that there was some good news from there. He hated that they were still here when the war was meant to be over by now; he had never thought that they would make it home from this hellhole.

"I have a daughter," Thomas said almost in awe of the fact the more that he thought about it; he wished that he could see her and he wanted nothing more than to be at home with his wife and baby. Arthur paused at the news, a smile on his face at the news that he had a niece and he couldn't believe that the news had come so quickly; he had never thought that they would still be here after all these months.

"Congratulations," Freddie said taking a seat, he had heard what Thomas had said and he was rather surprised; he had never thought that he would see the day that Thomas Shelby would settle down. He could only imagine what Thomas would be like with a daughter, any man that was stupid enough to catch her eye had better run for the hills.

Sitting just a little away from where Thomas was seated, Robert couldn't help but overhear what had been said; his stomach churned at the news that he had a granddaughter. He wondered who she looked like, he was sure she looked just as beautiful as her mother had when she was born; Rosemary had been a little angel and he wished she could have stayed that small forever.

However, now she was all grown up and had a family of her own; it made Robert wish that they had handled the situation better when she had told them she was married. He had always hoped that he would walk her down the aisle and it had broken his heart that she had chosen to elope instead. He looked down at the letter that he was penning to his wife, he wondered if she knew that they had a granddaughter; he would encourage her to seek forgiveness.

"What's her name?" Arthur asked wanting to know what his adorable niece was called, he was sure that she had a beautiful name and he knew that she would be the envy of everyone if she looked like her mother. There was no telling when they would get to meet her and they would have to get to know her through the letters that they would receive from home.

"Kathleen Victoria Shelby," Thomas replied smiling, he loved the name that his wife had chosen and he was sure it suited her perfectly.

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	16. Making Amends

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.**

 **Some of you will have noticed that several chapters have disappeared, I decided to rewrite and explore what happened during the years that I originally planned to skip since the story felt lacking without them.**

* * *

 **Chapter Sixteen: Making Amends.**

"She looks just like you," Ada fussed holding her niece in her arms, she couldn't believe that Rosemary had one of these now and she was sure that Thomas would be thrilled when he finally came home from the war. Kathleen was adorable and Ada couldn't help but want one of her own, she was sure that she would be a wonderful mother; she had experience from looking after her nieces and nephews.

"Aye but the devil in her eyes are all her father," Polly said with a smile, she could only imagine what would happen when Kathleen was a teenager and Thomas had to deal with that. He was already very protective of Ada and Polly could only imagine what he would be like with a daughter to take care of and think about.

Rosemary smiled at that, she found herself agreeing and she prayed that Thomas would be home soon so that he could see Kathleen for himself; she wished he could have been here when she was born. Ada rocked Kathleen in her arms as the baby started to get fussy, her little face scrunching up as she started to cry making Polly laugh softly before she took the baby from Ada.

Slowly handing Kathleen over to her mother, Polly watched Rosemary with her baby; she knew that Thomas had been very lucky to find a woman like her. Polly could only imagine what would have happened if Thomas had settled upon another woman; she didn't think her nephew would have ever been truly happy with anyone else.

The sound of a knock on the front door made Polly frown wondering who that could be, she waved Rosemary off allowing the other woman to nurse her child before she headed for the door. Approaching the front door, Polly pulled it open and frowned when she saw that no one was there; she peeked up and down the street only to see nothing.

Moving to step out of the door to see if anyone was rushing away, Polly found her foot blocked before she could put it down on the step; she looked down and stared at the basket that had been set there. Ducking down, Polly opened the basket and stared at the items inside; she frowned realising that it was stuff for the baby and she stood back up and looked around again.

There was no sign of anyone in the street but Polly knew who had dropped it off, she glanced behind her knowing how much a gift like this would mean to Rosemary. Picking up the basket, Polly knew that there was something that she needed to do; she tucked the basket away knowing that she would show it to Rosemary when she had the answers that she needed. The last thing that Polly wanted was to see Rosemary hurt, it was hard enough right now with Thomas being away fighting in a war and she had a newborn baby to deal with.

"Ada. Look after Finn. I will be back as soon as I can… there's something that I have to do," Polly called from the doorway, she had no doubts that her niece would probably stick around here for awhile and fuss over the baby. Making sure to grab her coat, Polly stepped out of the house and pulled it on before she started down the street; she knew that Thomas would be thankful that she was dealing with this now.

Polly held her head high as she walked down the street, she had no idea what she was going to say but she knew that things could not be allowed to continue like this. She was doing this for Rosemary and she prayed that what she said wasn't going to make the situation worse; she knew that things hadn't ended well the last time that Thomas had been to the house.

* * *

Victoria Parker paled as she stared at the woman on her door step, she hadn't thought that anyone would come to her home and she had very much doubted that her gift would warrant such a visit from anyone. It had been stupid, she had known that but as soon as she had heard that Rosemary had birthed a healthy baby girl; it had taken everything in her power not to go straight around to the house.

Victoria very much doubted that she would be welcomed and she had never thought that things would carry on like this; she had spent months trying to work out how to talk to her daughter again. However, nothing seemed to be good enough and she wished that she had approached Rosemary much sooner instead of waiting months to do so.

Stepping aside to allow Polly into her home, Victoria couldn't help but feel nervous; she very much doubted that the Shelby woman had anything good to say to her. The two of them moved towards the kitchen without saying a word, they both knew what this visit was about and they both knew it had been a long time coming. Taking a seat at the kitchen table, Victoria peered down at her hands as she waited to see what Polly would have to say to her; she doubted that it was anything that she was going to want to hear.

"You know why I am here," Polly said not wanting to beat around the bush, things were hard enough right now without messing around and Polly wanted to get back to her family. Victoria nodded her head, she was sure that the other woman was going to tell her off over how she had acted but she wasn't going to cause any trouble.

"I will not tolerate anyone messing around with my family, if you wish to make amends then do it," Polly said knowing just how much Rosemary had missed her mother recently. There was a new life to consider and no matter what had happened in the past, or who was in the wrong, they needed to stick together with a war beating down on them.

Times weren't easy and supplies were short, there was no sign of this war ending and with everything that was going on; Polly was determined to keep her family close, she had no idea when the boys would be home. Victoria looked surprised at what Polly was saying, she had expected to be told to stay away; she deserved it and she knew that if she wanted to make amends then this was it.

"You aren't going to ask me to stay away?" Victoria asked looking at Polly, she searched the other woman's face as she tried to work out what she might gain from this. A part of her was sure that this was a trick and she would deserve no better, she had left Rosemary alone for far too long and she would never forgive herself for missing out on so much.

"It's not about you or me… it's about Rosemary and that little girl of hers, they'll need all the help that they can get while Thomas fights in that war," Polly insisted, she would do what she could but her hands were busy with the business and also trying to help Martha with her children. Things weren't going to get easier the longer that the boys were fighting in a war, the woman would have to make do with what they could for the time being.

Victoria nodded her head at that, she would do anything that she could to help; she knew that Colleen had Peter's family to help her and she had her husband as well. The fact that Peter hadn't gone to fight in the war was a continued source of embarrassment and shame for the family; people hurled abuse when they saw him in the street.

"I will do whatever I can to make things right," Victoria promised, there was much for her to talk about with her daughter and she just wanted a chance to make things right.

* * *

Hearing the front door open and close, Rosemary peeked behind her knowing that it was Polly returning from wherever she had gone; she rocked Kathleen in her arms as she waited for her to appear. However, the person that stepped through her living room door made her pause and Rosemary couldn't help but wonder what her mother was doing here with Polly following after her close behind.

"Mum?" Rosemary asked not sure what to make of the fact that she was here, she held her baby close knowing that she wasn't prepared for her mother to show up. Polly offered no explanation instead headed straight to the kitchen to give them some space to talk; she hoped that she had done the right thing in approaching Victoria. Lingering by the door for a moment, Victoria stared at her daughter for a moment before she started to cry; she made her way over to Rosemary and dropped down before her.

"I am so sorry," Victoria apologised knowing that she should have done this a long time ago, she knew that she needed Rosemary's forgiveness and she hoped that she would get it.

"I was so blind in what I thought was best that I made you think that you had to hide things from me," Victoria rambled hating that she hadn't gotten to see her eldest daughter marry and it had been her own doing. No matter how much she disliked Thomas in the past, she wished that she had been more supportive so that Rosemary hadn't felt like eloping was her only option; she had been too stubborn and proud to see what she was doing to her children. Rosemary was speechless as she watched her mother cry before her, tears filled her own eyes at the fact that her mother was actually here with her right now.

"I only wanted the best for you, Rosie… I wanted you to have a life better than mine where you never had to worry where you're next meal was coming from," Victoria continued shaking her head, she had feared that the police would be knocking on her door every day because of whatever Thomas was doing.

The fact that Thomas had signed up for the war and had done right by Rosemary before he had left only made Victoria regret not getting to know him before he had left; from what she read in Robert's letters, he was a fine man. Robert had been rather impressed with Thomas while they had been at war and had told his wife that they couldn't have asked for a better husband for Rosemary. He was much preferred to Peter who was still here and brought shame upon them, he was wrapped around Colleen's finger and whatever she said went in their marriage.

"Mum…" Rosemary whispered not sure what to say to that, she swallowed the lump in her throat knowing that it would take time for them to truly fix things but at least they were making a start. Victoria looked up at her and was almost afraid that Rosemary would demand that she leave; she wouldn't have blamed her if she did so.

"Would you like to meet your granddaughter?" Rosemary asked not knowing what else to say, they would work this out she was sure and she was just so grateful that she was here right now. Polly and Ada had been amazing but having her mother here was all that she had wanted especially as she learnt the ropes of being a mother while her husband was away fighting.

Victoria nodded her head, wiping away her tears as she got to her feet and moved closer to get her first glimpse of Kathleen; her heart melting when she saw her. The little girl was beautiful and Victoria felt honoured when Rosemary carefully handed her over so that she could cuddle her granddaughter; she would do anything to prove that she had changed and could do better.

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	17. The Parker Women

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.**

 **Some of you will have noticed that several chapters have disappeared, I decided to rewrite and explore what happened during the years that I originally planned to skip since the story felt lacking without them.**

* * *

 **Chapter Seventeen: The Parker Women** **.**

"You're going where?" Colleen asked not entirely sure that she had heard her mother currently, she stopped feeding her son and turned to face her with a frown on her face; she certainly hadn't expected this. Victoria had been home late the night before and Colleen had been rather annoyed since it meant that she couldn't go out with Peter; she hated being cooped up at home with baby Robert.

Rolling her eyes, Victoria continued to pack some things into a basket with a smile on her face; she wanted to help Rosemary out in anyway that she could. Times were hard right now and with a newborn in the house, Rosemary was going to need all the help that she could get if she was going to keep food on the table.

"I am going to Rosemary's house," Victoria repeated slowly, she often wondered what she had done wrong with Colleen to make her so spoiled; she had never worked a day in her life and expected everything to be handed to her on a golden platter. Both Rosemary and Yvette had started to work as soon as they could, they had done their parents and Victoria knew that times weren't going to get any easier the longer that the men were away. Ellen looked up from her breakfast, a curious look on her face surprised to hear that her mother and oldest sister were talking again; she had feared that things would never be fixed between them.

"I didn't think you were talking," Colleen sulked, a frown on her face knowing exactly what would have changed things; she had heard her big sister had given birth and she hated that it took attention away from her Robert. Victoria ignored Colleen, she wasn't in the mood to deal with her and she almost wished that Peter's parents would take her in; as much as she loved her daughter, she wanted to be the centre of attention all the time.

Poor Peter had been practically disowned by his family because he hadn't gone off to fight in the war and was doing nothing for the war effort. He was seen as an embarrassment to his family and Victoria had to admit that even she couldn't avoid the whispers about him as she walked down the street; there was no escaping what was said about him.

"Can I come?" Ellen piped in, she had heard about the new baby and she wanted nothing more than to see; it felt like forever since she had seen Rosemary as well. Yvette looked at her mother, she felt a great relief that everything had been sorted out; all that was missing now was for their father and Thomas to come home from the war.

"Of course, I am sure Rosemary and Kathleen would love to see you," Victoria encouraged with a smile on her face, she finished what she was doing and looked at her three daughters that still lived at home. A part of her was a little sad that soon she would likely have an empty nest, she could only imagine what the next few years would hold for her.

Ellen beamed at the answer, quickly finishing her breakfast before disappearing upstairs to get dressed; she didn't wish to keep her mother waiting too long. Victoria watched her go and smiled, she truly wished that Ellen didn't have to grow up; she had always been her baby and she wanted her to stay little forever.

The fact that her youngest daughter was fourteen only made Victoria wonder where all the time had gone; she now had two grandchildren and it was hard to believe that she was a grandmother. Yvette got to her feet and moved to get ready, she was going to go with them; she was rather excited about meeting her niece for the first time.

* * *

"She's so little," Ellen whispered in awe, she held Kathleen in her arms unable to take her eyes away from her; she hadn't been allowed to hold baby Robert when he had been born because Colleen wouldn't let her. Colleen had insisted that Ellen would only drop him and had refused point blank to let her hold him because of that; she had kept Ellen as far as possible away from the baby.

Victoria smiled moving around the kitchen as she prepared lunch for them, she had insisted that Rosemary rest since she'd been busy with the baby all night. It was strange being in the home that Rosemary shared with Thomas and Victoria very much doubted that they'd had much time to make memories here before he was shipped off to war.

"Any news from Thomas?" Victoria asked knowing that her son-in-law was fighting in a war that he might not come back from; she prayed every night that both he and Robert would come home safe. It was never going to be easy and she had feared just what might happen should her daughter be left a widow at such a young age; she had a child of her own to think about now.

"He expressed his joy at the news that we have a daughter… he wishes that he could come home to see us," Rosemary said thinking about the letter that had arrived that morning. She was sure that he had been thrilled that they had welcomed a daughter and she wished that he could come home now; she hated that things had worked out like they had.

Victoria sighed, there was so much going on that they didn't know about; the war was meant to be over by now but nothing seemed to be done yet. A war over by Christmas was what they had been promised, now it was the middle of May; there was no sign of an end nor that anyone was coming home.

"I pray that this is all over soon," Victoria said knowing that nothing would change, she could pray all she wanted but it wasn't going to bring her husband or son-in-law home. It was hard to believe that things had turned out this way, a part of her feared that she might never see Robert again and he wouldn't get to see his grandchildren; she had nightmares some days of what would happen.

The room was quiet for a moment, all of them thinking about the war that was going on; they had no idea just what was happening across the channel in France or the main continent. The papers kept things vague and anything that might be given away in letter was crossed out before they were delivered to the families.

"Where are you working?" Rosemary asked turning to face Yvette, she didn't want to think about the war or the idea that Thomas might not come home and never get to meet their daughter. Rosemary knew that if she thought too much about it then she was going to cry; she hated that there was nothing that she could do to help bring him home.

Yvette looked at her older sister, her job wasn't that important and she knew that it wasn't a lot; she was just trying to help making sure that they could still put food on the table. She knew that their mother had also taken up a job as a typist, the loss of their father's pay check was being felt and they had struggled with putting food on the table.

"It's just a cleaning job," Yvette said shrugging her shoulders, it wasn't anything special but it helped pay the bills and it was much more than anything Colleen was doing. Their sister sat around the house and expected everything to be done for her, she even expected their parents to pay for a house right now for her, Peter and Robert.

Something that wasn't going to happen while there was a war on and their father was away fighting.

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	18. The Late Robert Parker

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.**

 **Some of you will have noticed that several chapters have disappeared, I decided to rewrite and explore what happened during the years that I originally planned to skip since the story felt lacking without them.**

* * *

 **Chapter Eighteen:** **The Late Robert Parker.**

"Fall back. Fall back. Retreat." Thomas ordered moving as fast as he could, dirt covered his face and the rain poured down heavily making it difficult to see; he ducked and dodged throwing the trees as he raced away from the attacking enemy forces. The rain blinded him as he moved but he refused to stop, around him men fled for their lives and they cursed as slowly they were picked off one by one.

His heart pounded in his chest and he was sure that this was the moment that would end his life; there was no help coming and they were outnumbered. The man in front of him crumbled to the ground and Thomas felt his heart stop as he realised just who it was; he rushed forward and dropped to his knees, he turned the man over and pressed his hands against the wound.

"Stay with me Robert," Thomas demanded, his eyes trying to find somewhere that they could both hide; the rain almost blinding him, he couldn't see a thing and the enemy was fast approaching. His hands were quickly covered in blood and the cold seeped in through his trousers; he did his best to stem the bleeding but there was little that he could to save his father-in-law.

"I was wrong about you," Robert rasped, he knew that he would die here and if it was the last thing that he did; he wanted to make amends for misjudging Thomas. Thomas shook his head, now was not the time for that and he wasn't sure how much time they had before someone came across them; he doubted that would end well and he had no way to defend himself.

"You're better than any man that I could have asked for, for my Rose," Robert babbled, he hated that he would never get to meet either of his grandchildren and he prayed that his wife would forgive him for not making it home to her like he had promised. Robert had heard so much about little Robert and Kathleen, he had hoped to meet them and make amends for his harsh treatment when he returned to Birmingham; now all he could do was hope that Thomas would forgive them.

Thomas stopped looking around and focused on Robert, there had been a slight improvement in their relationship while they had been in France. He hadn't ever expected that Robert would be saying this to him, he had known how little Robert had thought of Peter; the son-in-law that remained back at home while they fought in the war.

"Take care of them. I want her to be happy. Promise me. Give them the best. Promise me." Robert pleaded, he pulled off his dog-tags and pressed them into Thomas's hand; his eyes pleading with him. He wanted them to make it back home to Victoria, he wanted his wife to have some small part of him and he knew that she would be devastated by his death. Robert had been so pleased when Victoria had told him that she had made amends with Rosemary; he wanted his family together so that they could support one another.

"I promise," Thomas replied quietly, he would do anything for his wife and daughter; he would do anything for them and he was determined to make it back to them. He had missed the birth of his daughter and no number of letters would ever make up for every moment that he missed with Rosemary and Kathleen.

"Forgive me… forgive…" Robert whispered before his eyes glazed over, he stared towards the sky as the rain pounded down on them. Thomas held onto his father-in-law as he took his final breath and left the world behind; he was silent as he slowly lowered Robert to the ground, knowing he would keep his promise.

* * *

Rosemary clapped a hand over her mouth as she stared down at the letter that she had received from Thomas; this was not what she had been expecting when she had received a letter from him. Collapsing back into her chair, tears filled her eyes as she read the news that her father had been killed and she almost couldn't believe what she was reading; a part of her wishing that this was some cruel joke.

News of deaths wasn't rare in Small Heath and Rosemary prayed nightly that her family would be spared the news that they had lost someone to this dreadful war. Already spanning two years, it was far too long for Rosemary's liking and she had prayed that they would all return home safely but now she knew that wasn't going to happen.

Rosemary felt numb as she took in the news that her father was gone, she prayed that he hadn't suffer in his final moments; she closed her eyes and wept softly to herself. The letter in her hand dropped to the floor and Rosemary didn't move as she cried, she tried to stifle her cries so that she didn't wake Kathleen. The last thing that she wished was to disturb her one-year old daughter, she hated that Kathleen would never get to meet her grandfather; she wrapped an arm around herself as she cried.

"Rosie! Rose! Are you home?" called a voice from the front door, someone knocking and snapping her out of her grief; she got to her feet and hurried to the door so that Kathleen wouldn't have been disturbed. Opening the door, Rosemary stared down at the tear streaked face of Ellen and threw her arms around her youngest sister knowing what had happened. The officers must have turned up at the house to inform their mother of their father's passing; she almost couldn't believe that this was happening to them right now.

"Father's dead… they came and told mother," Ellen wept holding onto her older sister, she was almost relieved that she had been home instead of the shops. Rosemary nodded her head, she ignored the looks from her nosey neighbour knowing that she didn't care what she thought; their father was gone and Rosemary could only imagine how their mother was taking it.

A part of her wanted to go straight to the house and see her but she had no one to watch Kathleen and she wasn't going to wake her daughter to go running to her mother's house. It wouldn't end well and Rosemary wanted a little time to wrap her head around what had happened; she gently tugged Ellen inside knowing that Yvette had probably sent her here.

Rosemary could only imagine how their mother was taking the news that her husband of twenty-seven years had been killed in combat. Thomas hadn't said much about what had happened, in fact he had only written to tell her that on the 6th of October her father had been killed; he had wanted her to know not sure when they would arrive to tell the family.

Sniffling Ellen allowed Rosemary to lead her into the kitchen and be ushered into a seat, the sounds of their mother's screams of denial still ringing in her ears. There was no doubt in her mind that the neighbours had heard and Yvette had been quick to send her to Rosemary's knowing that would be a better place for her instead of at home.

Rosemary set about making them a cup of tea to drink, she couldn't believe this had happened and she knew that they were going to have to deal with this now. The war was far from over and she feared just what that would mean, she had already lost her father and yet her husband was still there. She wished that he could come home but she knew that wasn't going to be possible until the war was over.

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	19. Tunnel Shooting

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.**

* * *

 **Chapter Nineteen: Tunnel Shooting.**

"I hear the Yanks have finally entered the war," John said leaning back in his seat and looking up at the sky, he was growing tired of being stuck in this muddy hell-hole when all he wanted was to be at home with his family. They had been here for three years now with no sign of things changing, they had done everything that they had been told yet the promise of returning home didn't seem to come.

"Aye hopefully that means that this we'll be heading home soon," Arthur replied knowing that he couldn't take much more of this; he didn't think that he'd spend so much time in France when they'd been promised a war that would end in a couple of months. Three long years working in the trenches and digging tunnels, it hadn't been easy and they had all done their fair share of work while they had been here.

They'd all seen their fair share of death during their time fighting a war and none of them would ever forget each of the comrades that had been killed just doing their duty to their King. Each of them just wanting to return home to the family that they had left behind; they could only think of Aunt Polly, Ada, Finn, Martha, Rosemary and the young ones still waiting for them.

Thomas didn't speak, his eyes staring at the wall across from him as he tried to suppress the memories that crept into his mind and focus on happier times. It was hard to believe that he had been married for three years and had a daughter that he had never met; of course, Rosemary kept him informed but there was so much he had missed and would never get to see.

He would never experience Kathleen's first word, her first steps… all things that he had heard about but never got to witness. The sudden sound of scrapping made the group fall silent, they barely had time to react before the wall that they'd been digging at slowly crumbled away.

The tunnel suddenly erupted into chaos as it was filled with shouts in both German and English; people scrambling for their weapons as they engaged the enemy, all knowing that they had to kill those against them. The next few moments were madness and a blare, looking back none of them would be sure what exactly happened but one minute a German rifle was aimed at Thomas and the next thing was that he was on the floor.

He could only look up in surprise quickly followed by horror as he realised that Freddie had shoved him out of the way. Arthur and John were quick to dispatch the enemy soldiers while Thomas moved back to his feet and over to Freddie who stumbled and collapsed; his hands clutching where he had been shot.

"Medic! Somebody get a medic!" Thomas shouted, his hands pressing into the wound and he prayed that he wouldn't watch his friend bleed to death as he had done with his father-in-law. He looked down at Freddie not sure what to say to him, his head not able to accept that it should have been him bleeding to death on the floor.

"Why would you do that?" Thomas exclaimed not understanding while Freddie had saved his life and taken that bullet for him; he pressed at the wound to try and stop the bleeding. He could hear the medics coming and he prayed that Freddie was going to be alright; he would never forgive himself if his friend died for him here.

The medics quickly arrived and loaded Freddie onto a stretcher to take him away to be treated; they seemed sure that the wound wouldn't be too bad since he had been hit in the shoulder. Looking down at the blood on his hands, Thomas doubted that this was the last time he'd see a sight like that.

* * *

Staring down at the latest letter that she had received from her husband, Rosemary swallowed the lump in her throat knowing that what had happened to Freddie was not something that he would ever forget. She thanked God that Thomas was okay and she prayed that Freddie would recover after what he had done to save her husband; it had been a year since her own father's death and she didn't want that for Kathleen.

"How is Tommy?" Victoria asked setting down a cup of tea for her, she was dressed in black just as she had done since the news of her husband's death. It was still hard to believe and she was ever so grateful that she had been able to find a job that supported her and the two children that still lived under her roof. Victoria had been relieved when Colleen had made the announcement that she and Peter would be moving in with his parents since there was more room there.

It had been a great relief since it meant that there were three less mouths to feed with two pay-checks coming into the house; she was sure that it would be much easier for them to survive. Colleen had never pulled her weight at home and always expected someone else to watch her son while Peter struggled to find work since he was seen as a coward.

"Freddie saved his life," Rosemary said folding the letter and setting it on the table, she was grateful for the fact that things had slowly worked themselves out for her family. Things were not easy in Small Heath and they just about managed to make sure that they put food on their tables; each of them doing their part so that they wouldn't starve. Victoria's stomach turned at the news, she went to church often to pray for the safe return of Rosemary's husband; she didn't want her daughter becoming a young widow.

"I shall pray for Freddie," Victoria said, there had been many men lost to this war and she doubted many would be returning to Small Heath should the war last very much longer. No one had expected it to last three years, it had been long and many just wanted their husbands, brothers, fathers and sons to come home; it was never meant to come to this yet here they were.

"With the Americans involved, the war shouldn't last much longer," Yvette piped in, she nibbled on her lunch and she was starving; she had come to visit her sister and niece on her lunchbreak like she did most days. She was certain that now that they were getting the extra forces that they needed that it shouldn't be too much longer before this war came to an end. They were already saying it was like no other war that they had ever experienced in history; it was something that would be remembered and they could only hope that it would never be repeated again.

"They said it would be over by Christmas… that was three years ago," Victoria replied with a shake of her head, she cared not for what the politicians were saying. They would say whatever they needed to and she was sure that it was all lies, there was no end in sight and things didn't seem to be getting any better.

Yvette was silent at that, if the war had only lasted those three-four months then her father would still be alive and they wouldn't have struggled as they had done in the past three years. Reaching across the table, Rosemary took her sister's hand and offered it a reassuring squeeze; there was no harm in hoping for an end to this war.

"I believe that we might be closer to an end than we know," Rosemary told her, she truly believed that this might be a sign that the war was coming to an end and that Thomas would be home soon. It might not be as soon as she would like but she did believe that the war was coming to an end.

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	20. Welcome Home

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty: Welcome Home.**

Four years. The war had taken four years of his life and Thomas Shelby wasn't even sure that he was relieved to be home; he had dreamt of this moment for so long at the beginning but now he felt so unsure.

Around him on the train platform, people cheered for those who were returning home and the mood was joyful that so many were finally returning after being gone for over four years. His eyes scanned the gathering of people trying to find anyone that he recognised, he nodded to the men that he had fought alongside as he passed them pleased to see that they had been reunited with their families.

He came to a stop as his eyes came upon the sight of his aunt, he stared at her unable to believe that she was standing just a few feet from him; he tightened his grip on his bag before he walked towards her. Tears filled Polly's eyes as she stared at him, she moved through the crowd towards him and threw her arms around him; she held him close as she tried to hold back her tears.

John and Arthur had arrived back days ago, and Polly couldn't believe that all her boys were coming home safely; there had been so many boys from their street that wouldn't be coming home to their families and their bodies remained in France. Closing his eyes, Thomas allowed himself a moment of weakness and he knew that the war had changed so much for him; he had missed so much, and he would never gain that time back. When he opened his eyes, he felt his breath catch in his throat as he saw who was standing behind Polly; he was in awe of what he was seeing.

"Tommy," Rosemary whispered softly, a small smile on her lips as she stared at her husband; she almost couldn't believe that he was finally standing before her after all these years. She had kept all the letters that he had sent her while he had been away, and she couldn't believe that he was finally coming home to her; she had prayed for this for so long.

Polly smiled as she slowly released Tommy, she turned to look at Rosemary knowing that this was a moment that they had only ever imagined; she didn't have to guess why Thomas had fallen so silent. His eyes were firmly locked on the little girl that was balanced on Rosemary's hip, who shared his blue eyes and was fair-haired like her mother had been as a child.

"Say hello to daddy," Rosemary cooed softly to the little girl, she had never thought that this day would come, and she knew that no number of letters could make up for the time that Thomas had been gone. She slowly approached her husband, who stood frozen as he stared at them; she could only imagine what was going on in his mind right now.

The little girl peered up at Thomas, her blue eyes just as piercing as his own and with that one look Thomas knew that he was completely wrapped around her little figure. She was everything that he had imagined and more, he had never thought that he would come home to this and he dropped his bag when Rosemary started to hand her over. Peeking up at the man that her mother had called her father, the little girl tilted her head and reached out to poke his nose; a small smile filling her face as she did so.

"Hello Kathleen," Thomas whispered holding her close, she was perfect, and he couldn't believe that she was his; she was a little angel and he knew that he would do anything for her. Rosemary stood back and smiled at the scene before her, she ignored the nagging feeling that settled in her stomach; she could worry about that later, right now she was just happy that Thomas was home and safe.

* * *

Stepping into their home, Thomas was surprised how little had changed since he had left to go away to war; it was almost like he had never left, and he was amazed that it had managed to stay that way. Rosemary followed him into their home, she had done her best to keep things just as he had left them; she had done her best to maintain their home and make sure it was suitable for Kathleen.

Their daughter was everything that she could have dreamed of, she was thrilled that Thomas finally got to meet her, and she would do anything to make sure that he was comfortable here. Of course, Polly had wrangled a promise that they would have dinner with her and the rest of the family; she wanted everyone together as soon as possible.

"I should settle her down for her nap," Rosemary murmured shifting Kathleen on her hip, it had been a very exciting morning and she was starting to fall asleep. She headed upstairs leaving Thomas to linger, he watched her go and sighed to himself before moving into the living room; his eyes taking in the place that he had called home.

His eyes taking in every part of the place that he called home, it didn't feel the same anymore and he was surprised just how much had remained the same while he was gone. A frown starting to form on his face as he thought about how Rosemary must have coped in the years that he had been gone; he had never thought that he would be gone so long.

Taking in the living room, Thomas frowned to himself; he wanted better for Rosemary and Kathleen, they deserved better than the shit-hole that they called home. He had spent four years of his life fighting for King and country to come home to find his family barely making ends meet; it angered him that they had been forced to deal with this.

He had made a promise, a promise that he would take care of Rosemary and Kathleen and he intended to keep it; he was going to make sure that they were given the best and he would change their fortunes. The sound of Rosemary coming back down the stairs snapped Thomas from his thoughts, he moved to the door way and watched her; she was even more beautiful than he remembered. His memory certainly didn't her justice and he was determined to prove that he was more than worthy of her; he moved towards her knowing that nothing would take him away from her or Kathleen again.

"I have missed you," Rosemary whispered, she felt tears build in her eyes and she had worried that he wouldn't come back to her. There had been times that she was convinced that she would get a knock at the door and it would be someone arriving to tell her that Thomas had been killed; the idea of him not coming back had scared her. Stepping forward, Thomas wrapped his arms around Rosemary and held her close; it had been a long war and so many good men had died.

"I worried that I would lose you as well," Rosemary mumbled into his shirt, her fingers clutching at it as the first few tears escaped; she clutched at him knowing that she could have lost him as well as her father. The last couple of years had been difficult and Rosemary was thankful that she hadn't faced it alone; she buried her face into his neck just happy to hold him.

Thomas didn't reply, he didn't want to tell her how close he had come to losing his life in the past four years; he was here now and he was going to give her the best life that he could. Robert was gone and had left his family behind, Thomas had no plans of doing the same anytime soon and he hoped that he would be able to keep his promise.

There was no way that he was going to allow his wife and children to live a life like he had done growing up; he wanted better for them.

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	21. Being Pushed Away

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-One: Being Pushed Away.**

"You're pregnant again?" Rosemary whispered surprised as she stared at Martha, she had not been expecting such news and she couldn't help but feel a little jealous that her sister-in-law was going to have another baby. Things hadn't been right since Thomas had returned home, Rosemary had hoped that things would be alright but he was barely sleeping and wouldn't tell her what was bothering him.

"You're not? They've been home two months and I am sure Kathleen would love a sibling," Martha teased with a smile, she could barely get John to keep his hands off her and she loved how he was making up for all the time that he had missed. The children were thrilled to have their father home and John was dotting on them, something that allowed Martha to have a break from the three of them.

Rosemary swallowed, she didn't want to talk about the issues that she was having and she had thought that Thomas's distance would be something that John and Arthur were also going through. She was a little disappointed that she was the only one that seemed to have this problem; she sipped on her tea knowing that she couldn't talk to Martha about it.

Sensing that something wasn't right, Martha reached across the table and took Rosemary's hand; she had heard that Thomas had thrown himself into work. John had told her about the hours that his brother was pulling, he was always the first at the shop in the morning and the last to leave of a night; he wouldn't even share his work load with his brothers.

"I am sure he'll come around… John has nightmares sometimes, it was hell on earth he says," Martha said knowing that they'd never know just how bad things had been in France. Many of the men that had returned from war weren't the same and it would take time for them all to adjust to life back in Small Heath after everything that they had been through. Rosemary nodded her head, she offered Martha a weak smile knowing that she shouldn't ruin Martha's good news with her own problems; she had no idea how her sister-in-law would manage with four children.

"When are you due?" Rosemary asked trying to change the subject, she didn't want to make this about her and she was sure that Martha would want to talk about her baby. It was hard to believe how fast she had gotten pregnant and Ada had even joked about how fast Martha seemed to pop out children; she and John had only been together for a few years.

"Early August," Martha replied with a smile, she was looking forward to it and she would love this child just as much as she loved James, Steven and Margaret. John had been thrilled with the news that they were going to have another baby, he couldn't imagine just how things were going to work out but he was pulling his weight more to support his family. The war had changed him and Martha missed how fun loving he had been before the war, he seemed far too serious now but she enjoyed how responsible he was being.

"The children must be excited… a new sibling to fuss over," Rosemary continued, it was something that she wanted for herself especially since Thomas had missed out on so much with Kathleen since he had been at war. If he ever made it home early enough then Rosemary found him spending time with Kathleen; his blue eyes taking in their daughter almost like he didn't believe that she was real.

The war had left them all with scars and there was no doubt that they would feel the force of it for years to come but Rosemary could only hope that it wouldn't bring an end to her marriage.

* * *

Brushing her hair, Rosemary tried to keep the emotions off her face as Thomas stepped into their bedroom; it was late and she had expected him home hours ago for dinner, she hadn't thought he'd miss it again. Kathleen had been upset that her father hadn't been home to tuck her in when she had been going to bed and Rosemary had done her best to settle their daughter.

She was doing her best to be as understanding as possible with the situation but Rosemary felt frustrated that things didn't seem to be getting better in the time since he had returned from war. Nothing seemed to please Thomas and his decision to quickly return to work did little to ease her mind; he was looking for a distraction and that worried her.

"Martha announced that she's with child again," Rosemary said sure that John would have shared the news with his brothers, she turned to face Thomas as he undressed for bed. Her eyes catching on the scars that he had gained while he had been at war; she wanted to ask how he had gotten them but she was worried that she would upset him.

"So, I heard," Thomas murmured knowing that it wasn't really a surprise, from what he heard John and Martha had been at it like rabbits since John had come home from war. It was hard to believe that they hadn't announced a pregnancy sooner, he was certain that there would be no stopping them from having a large family just like John wanted.

Rosemary hesitated for a moment, deciding her next move before she got to her feet and made her way over to Thomas; she watched him not sure how he would react. Sitting down on the bed, Thomas eyed his wife not sure what to expect; he knew that Martha's joyful reaction might bring about a conversation that he didn't want to have with his own wife.

Slowly reaching for Thomas, Rosemary stared at his face as her hands came into contact with his bare chest; he was cool to the touch and she guessed that it was rather cold outside since it was the middle of winter. There had been a light snow covering the street when she had woken that morning but it hadn't lasted long, melting away before lunch much to Kathleen's disappointment. Stepping closer to Thomas, Rosemary kissed him and slowly brought her hands to rest on his shoulders; she felt him go stiff under her touch before his hands rested on her hips and pushed her back.

"Not tonight Rosie," Thomas said quietly, he couldn't bring himself to look at her and he knew what she was trying to do. A part of him did feel bad about pushing her away, however he couldn't bring himself to get comfortable; he could almost see the hurt in her eyes when he told her no but he knew that he couldn't do this now.

Searching Thomas's face, Rosemary frowned a little before she moved to cup his face and kiss him again; a part of her sure that they could get through this together. Thomas relaxed a little into this kiss, his hands remaining on her hips for a moment before he fisted her nightgown and pulled her closer a little. However, flashes of the war flicked through his mind before he could stop them and he roughly pushed Rosemary away from him; his hands shaking as he got to his feet and turned away from her.

"I said not tonight," Thomas snapped before storming out of their bedroom, guilt filled him at his actions but he would not allow himself to hurt her. He would never forgive himself if he did so and he was sure that Rosemary would understand eventually; it was better this way and he knew that he could keep her safe.

Tears filled Rosemary's eyes as her husband fled from her, she collapsed onto the bed wondering what she was to do.

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	22. Marriage Troubles

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Two: Marriage Troubles.**

"That's another one lost to this flu going around," Polly muttered putting down her newspaper, she was surprised how fast this sickness had spread since the men had returned home from war. Each new day there seemed to be a report of someone falling ill and there had been several reports of those dying from the sickness that seemed to be spreading like a fire around the community.

Rosemary didn't reply, she stared out of the window into her back yard almost not hearing what Polly was saying; her mind thinking about how strange Thomas had been acting since his return. He all but avoided her now and it broke her heart that there was little that she could do to ease his mind and take away the pain that he had been left with.

"Rosemary?" Polly said when she didn't get a reply, she stared at the young woman almost surprised to find her staring almost unseeing out of the window. A frown formed on her lips and she pushed herself out of her chair before she made her way over to her; she reached out to touch Rosemary's shoulder only for her to jump at the last minute.

"Sorry Polly, what were you saying?" Rosemary asked shaking her head, she swallowed knowing that it wasn't the first time that she had drifted off like that. She moved away from the window not wanting to forget herself again, she was certain that her actions concerned Polly and she didn't want that when there was nothing wrong.

"Is everything alright?" Polly questioned, it was no secret that Thomas had thrown himself into working at the shop; she had been surprised with how many times she had walked in on him just sat in that office. Things had not been right since the boys returned and Polly couldn't imagine what they had seen or done while they were fighting for their King.

"It's nothing Pol," Rosemary said trying to reassure her, she doubted her words were convincing but she didn't want any fuss when they were meant to be heading to church. Polly pursed her lips, she didn't believe her for a second and she hated that Rosemary had found herself in such a position; Thomas had no idea just what he was putting his poor wife through by acting as he did. However, she supposed that it was a tad better than what Arthur was doing these days; he was constantly getting into fights and his temper was worse than ever.

"We should get going… we shouldn't be late to church," Rosemary insisted heading out into the hallway and grabbing her coat, she closed her eyes for a moment before shaking her head and getting ready. Helping Kathleen into her coat, Rosemary tried to ignore the look that Polly gave her; she didn't want to talk about the fact her marriage seemed to be falling apart. Catching Rosemary's arm before she could open the door, Polly stared at her knowing that there was something going on here and she worried for Rosemary.

"If you need to talk… you know where I am," Polly insisted, if anything was happening then she wanted to know about it; she always looked after her family and that wasn't going to change now. No matter what was going on then she would help Rosemary in anyway that she could; she would certainly be speaking to Thomas about his actions as of late.

"I'm fine Polly really, nothing to worry about at all," Rosemary reassured forcing a smile to her face before taking Kathleen's hand and stepping out of the house. Polly watched her go not believing her for a second, she had thought she'd taught Thomas better but it seemed that his cruelty didn't truly know any bounds.

* * *

Sitting beside Rosemary in church, Thomas couldn't help but feel his mind drift away from the sermon that was being preached and think about happier times for them; the first being their wedding day. They had been married in this very church and Thomas couldn't quite believe that it had been nearly five years since they had wed; it felt like a life-time ago and so much had changed.

He reached to take her hand only for Rosemary to pull her hand away, he frowned and glanced at her but she didn't take her eyes of the priest as he started to close the sermon. Things had been strained since he had rejected her and the news that Martha was having another baby certainly didn't help things; it seemed to be a looming reminder that something wasn't right between them.

Finally, it was over and Thomas got to his feet, he glanced around him seeing many faces that he knew from the war and they all seemed to look as tired as he felt. Offering his arm to Rosemary, he was a little annoyed when she ignored it in favour of darting over to her mother and sisters to greet them as they exited the church taking Kathleen with her.

He had no idea what was going on with her and he knew his actions as of late certainly didn't help the situation that they were in. Polly approached him, her eyes lingering on Rosemary for a moment before she turned to him; a frown on her lips as she took his arm and started to lead him from the church.

"What have you done?" Polly asked stiffly, her voice low so that none around would pick up their conversation and she nodded to those that she knew as they passed. Rolling his eyes, he knew that he should have expected her to jump on him when they were alone; he certainly wasn't in the mood for her questions.

"What makes you think I've done something?" Thomas asked lighting up as soon as they were outside, he ignored the looks of people around him as they moved out and away from the church. Polly rolled her eyes, she wondered just how stupid he thought she was and she hoped that he wasn't going to continue this way; she looked over at Rosemary knowing that something must be done.

"She's pale… far paler than normal, she's all but ignoring you, she dozed out while we were talking this morning and it looks like she's lost weight," Polly listed just the things that she had noticed today. She wouldn't dare bring up the fact that she knew that Thomas had spurned his wife and they were no longer really sharing a bed like they should be as husband and wife.

"Leave it Pol," Thomas warned not in the mood for this, he could feel a headache coming on and he wasn't in the mood to argue with her when he had work to do. Polly frowned at him, she didn't understand what was going on but she wasn't going to let this go; the last thing that she wanted to do was prove Victoria's original concerns for the marriage right.

Things might have been better between Rosemary and her mother but there was no forgetting that they had spent much time apart because of Victoria's unease about Thomas being like his father. Polly opened her mouth to say more, they didn't just have to think about themselves anymore; they had Kathleen and she deserved better than this.

"I said leave it Polly," Thomas snapped before pulling away from her, he ignored the looks from those around him as he fixed his cap back to his head before taking a final look at his wife. Perhaps a trip to the bar was in order, it would take his mind off things and he most certainly could do with a break from all the questions that Polly was surely brewing in that mind of hers.

* * *

Arriving home late from the bar, Thomas frowned seeing all the lights off in his home and he guessed that everyone else had gone to bed; he quietly opened the door and shut it behind him so that he didn't wake them up. Carefully removing his cap and hanging it up, Thomas couldn't help but think how productive his meeting had been; it was certainly going to shake things up for the business.

Hanging up his coat, he let out a sigh before slowly making his way up the stairs; he tried to move as quietly as possible and grumbled to himself when he hit a stair that creaked. Thomas hesitated when he reached the top of the stairs, his eyes focusing in on the bedroom that he shared with Rosemary; he wasn't looking forward to climbing into bed with her after the talk he'd had with Polly.

Instead he turned and headed for the bedroom that Kathleen occupied, he pushed open the door and stared into the darkness for a moment; his eyes catching on the sight of his daughter sound asleep. He shook his head when he saw that she had pushed her covers off her and was cuddling the bear that he knew had been a gift from his sister, Ada, for her last birthday. Heading into the bedroom, Thomas carefully covered Kathleen up so that she wouldn't get cold; he didn't want her to get sick because it was cold.

"You're the best thing I've ever done," Thomas whispered to the sleeping girl before he ducked down and kissed her head, he closed his eyes knowing that he would do anything for her and he hoped to give her the life he'd never had. Making sure that she was all covered up, Thomas slowly retreated from the bedroom and shut the door behind him; he leant against the wall next to the room for a moment to stare at his own.

There was no putting it off any longer and he knew that Rosemary would be upset with him anyway for turning up late like he had. Slowly he made his way over to the room, he opened the door and pushed it open as he stared into the room that he shared with his wife; a look of confusion on his face when he saw that the room was empty.

There was no sign that their bed had been disturbed and he very much doubted that Rosemary would go anywhere without taking Kathleen with her if she had left him. Not that he would blame her especially with how he had been treating her in the past months since he had returned from war; things just weren't the same for them anymore.

Slowly edging his way into the room, Thomas removed his gun and moved to stick it in the draw with the lock; he didn't want Kathleen accidentally finding it and shooting herself. His eyes continued to sweep the room, nothing out of place and nothing that could tell him where his wife might be the house.

Moving around their bed, Thomas headed towards the window only to stop when he reached the far corner of the bed; his eyes turning to the right as he saw what was laying on the floor. There crumpled on the floor on her side of the bed lay Rosemary. He didn't even remember throwing himself to the floor, his heart pounding in his ears as he reached for her and pulled her into his arms.

"Please Rose… come on please…" Thomas pleaded as he desperately tried to wake her up, her head lolling back as he tried to wake her but nothing seemed to work. Her breathing was shallow and he didn't know what to do, his hands shaking as his mind went back to a place that he had hoped that it would never go to. Shaking the thoughts from his head, he got to his feet with Rosemary in his arms; this would not be the night that he lost his wife.

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	23. The Spanish Influenza

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Three: The Spanish Influenza.**

"I have done all I can. It's in God's hands now," the doctor said stepping out of the bedroom and closing the door behind him, he looked at the people gathered in the hallway knowing that what he had to tell them wasn't going to be easy. This was the twentieth case that he had dealt with in the past week, the disease was spreading quickly and didn't seem to be slowing down as it made it's way through the country.

"It's the Spanish Influenza then?" Polly guessed with a frown, this was not what she had been expecting; she had hoped that her family would be at least spared from this. When she had reached the call that Rosemary had collapsed while at home, she had feared that perhaps something had happened between Thomas and his wife. The news that it was illness that threatened Rosemary didn't bring Polly anymore relief than her fears; she knew that the Spanish Influenza was something that truly worried her.

"It is," the doctor confirmed, he wished that there was more that he could do but he had done what he could and he hoped that Rosemary would recover. Victoria rested her hand on Thomas's shoulder, she didn't know what to say to him and she couldn't imagine what was going on inside of his head right now.

She was sure that Rosemary could recover from this, she couldn't imagine what would happen if she didn't; she didn't think that Thomas would cope if he lost her. Of course, their marriage had been strained since his return from war but what marriage hadn't been changed; he had seen unimaginable horrors and done things that he had never dreamed of.

Thomas didn't say a word as he pushed past the doctor and into the room where Rosemary was; he shut the door behind them not wanting to be disturbed. His eyes glued on Rosemary's unmoving form that now lay in their bed, the sheets covered her and she looked so pale; if it wasn't for the moving of her chest then Thomas would have thought that she was already dead.

Slowly he made his way across the room, he took up the seat by her side and carefully took one of her hands; pressing a kiss to it, he held it cautiously in his own as he bowed his head. Thomas couldn't quite remember the last time that he had truly prayed for anything, he didn't think he truly believed in a God that could allow such horrors to happen in a world. But for Rosemary, Thomas was sure that he would just about do anything for her; he couldn't imagine carrying on without her or raising their daughter alone.

"I know we've had our differences, my actions often putting us at odds," Thomas began, his eyes closed as he spoke and he was thankful that there was no one around to see him now. The room was so quiet and still, it felt strange and he couldn't quite place the feeling that it invoked in him; it left him uneasy and he knew that he had to make this right.

"But I am begging you now, don't take her from me… she's the best thing that has ever happened to me and I don't know what I will do if you take her from me," Thomas continued, everything he did was to make sure that Rosemary and Kathleen had everything that they deserved. Rosemary was the best thing that had ever come into his life, he didn't even want to consider the path that he would take should she not make it.

"Please love… don't leave me in this cruel world alone," Thomas pleaded, he held on tightly to her hand knowing that he would trade anything in the world for her to be well again.

* * *

The sound of someone shouting pulled Thomas from his thoughts, his eyes trained on the letter that he had been reading; he set it down and got to his feet wondering what all the commotion was about. It had been several days since Rosemary had fallen unwell, she had never awakened or worsened in that time; she remained silent and still, a fact that Thomas still found it hard to deal with it. He sat by her side when he could and he prayed each night that she would return to him; the doctor feared that if she would not wake soon then she would not wake at all.

"Tommy!" called a voice making him hurry a little more, he wasn't sure what had made someone call for him like that; however, he knew that there was only one possible source. He took the stairs two at a time as he hurried towards the bedroom where Polly was waiting for him; she had tears in her eyes and his heart pounded in his chest.

"What is it?" Thomas asked fearing the answer, his aunt was a strong woman and he could only imagine what had occurred to make her cry this way. He searched her face for a moment as Polly struggled to find the words to express what had happened; however, Thomas quickly moved past her, his nerves getting the better of him about what had happened.

Stepping into the room, Thomas came to a complete stop at the sight of Rosemary sitting up in bed; the cushions had been moved so she could do so comfortably. He stared stunned for a moment before he hurried across the room, wrapping his arms around her not able to believe that she was finally awake.

"Tommy?" Rosemary croaked, she felt terrible and was rather confused about what had happened; the last thing that she remembered was getting ready for bed and it had been late. Now here she was in bed, in the middle of the day and the reaction that Polly had given when she had woken told her that she was missing something; the woman had hugged her really hard before calling for Thomas.

Now seeing her husband, the look on his face told Rosemary that things were more serious than she realised; he looked so tired and there were tears in his eyes as he stared at her. Making his way across the room, Thomas wrapped his arms around her and held her close; he couldn't believe that she was really awake and he prayed that this was a sign of something good.

"I thought I'd lost you," Thomas whispered pulling back only to kiss Rosemary, he had feared the worse and he was so thankful that he hadn't lost her like he had thought he would. There was no way that he would have been able to handle raising Kathleen, he couldn't imagine raising a daughter and the idea alone was scary enough for him.

Their daughter was currently staying with Rosemary's mother so that she couldn't be infected with the illness that had very nearly claimed the life of her mother. Victoria visited nearly every day, she wanted to make sure that her daughter was okay; she couldn't believe that this had happened to her family after they had already lost Robert.

"I love you," Thomas whispered, his focus returning to Rosemary and away from the dark thoughts that threatened to consume him; the sickness continued to spread around them and so many had already lost their lives to it. He rested his head against Rosemary's, he had to get them away from the crowded streets that were overrun with diseases and he knew that there had to be a way to get his family out of Small Heath.

Rosemary stared at her husband, she could almost see the wheels turning in his head and she feared that this wasn't going to help his behaviour only make it worse.

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	24. Change for the Better

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Four: Change for the Better.**

Hearing the front door shutting, Rosemary looked up curiously from where she was repairing one of Kathleen's dresses; she had been worried when she had woken up that morning to find Thomas missing. She had been slowly recovering from the Influenza and things were returning to normal for their small family; she was almost relieved that he was home more often than not.

"You were gone early this morning," Rosemary mused watching Thomas step into the kitchen, she had hoped that things wouldn't go back to how they had been before she fell ill. It eased her mind that he was home often for dinner and spent as much time with Kathleen when he was around; their daughter adored him and she knew that it made up for the time that Thomas had missed.

"Arthur called a meeting… it was important," Thomas replied shrugging off his jacket and hanging it up on the door; he moved to sit down while Rosemary returned to her work wanting to finish the dress quickly. Kathleen would be back soon, Ada had taken the little girl for a couple of hours so that she could get the housework done before Thomas returned home. Watching his wife work, Thomas tilted his head thinking about what Arthur had planned; it wasn't any different from the usual and Thomas knew it was up to him to make a difference.

"What did Arthur have to say?" Rosemary asked curiously, she recalled the times where she'd known everything about the business and the work that she had done there; now it seemed that it hadn't mattered at all. It was hard to believe that the women had held down the business while the men were gone; they seemed to forget that they had been the ones to run things.

"The usual," Thomas replied lighting his cigarette, if he was going to make a better future for his family then things needed to change and the small betting ring that they ran needed to start bringing in some serious money. He couldn't deny that his plans would take a little time to come together but if they made some serious money then he could afford to do nice things for his wife and daughter.

Rosemary and Kathleen meant the world to him, they were what he had fought for when he had been stuck across the ocean digging tunnels and fighting the enemy. Raising an eyebrow at her husband, Rosemary knew that there had to be more to it than that and she waited for him to speak while she finished off the dress that she was working on.

"You have something planned," Rosemary guessed setting down her work, she watched him with a smile knowing her husband far too well. Things might have been going well for them right now, but it wasn't in Thomas's nature to just settle; she had always admired him for that and she knew that he wasn't going to change now that Kathleen was here.

Thomas chuckled, he should have guessed that Rosemary would see what he was up-to; he might fool his brothers but there was no fooling her. However, the sound of the front door opening stopped Thomas from replying; a smile formed on his face as Kathleen dashed into the room followed by Ada. Nodding to his sister, Thomas listened as his daughter recounted the time that she had spent with her aunt; it still seemed unreal that he was here with them now.

There were times during the war that Thomas had truly feared that he wouldn't return home to them; it was something that he would never forget and what happened would haunt him for the rest of his life.

* * *

Stepping into the room, Thomas shut the door silently behind him so that he didn't attract any attention to himself; he wanted a moment of quiet while Rosemary and Ada worked on dinner downstairs. While it had been nice to spend a little time with his sister, he had forgotten how much Ada seemed to talk and Thomas needed a couple of minutes to himself.

Sitting down on the bed, Thomas closed his eyes and rubbed his temples trying to warn off the headache that was starting to build; he was almost surprised that things had been so calm since he came home. The sound of the bedroom door opening quickly made Thomas jump, his heart pounding in his chest as his mind flashed back to the nights that he had spent sleeping in a trench with the enemy just feet away from him.

Kathleen toddled inside, completely unaware of the alarm that she had just caused; her hand held on tightly to her dolly and a book as she approached her father with a large smile on her face. Blinking rapidly, Thomas took several deep breathes as he attempted to calm himself before Kathleen realised that there was something wrong; his hands shook as he tried to shake the memories that threatened to consume him.

"Daddy will you read to me?" Kathleen asked sweetly, she stared up at her father with big eyes; she didn't notice the sweat that seemed to now cover his face. Taking a couple of deep breathes, Thomas stared down at Kathleen trying to ignore the pounding of his heart; he nodded his head when he was sure that he was calm enough.

The smile that Kathleen gave him as she clambered onto the bed was enough to melt his heart; no matter what horrors he had seen during the war, being here with her nearly made up for all of that. Kathleen was completely oblivious to the horrors of the world, something that only made Thomas more determined to protect that innocence; the world was a cruel place and he wasn't going to allow it to corrupt his daughter.

Taking the book from Kathleen, Thomas eyed the scruffy looking doll that had clearly seen better days that Kathleen was carrying around; he was sure that he could get her a nicer looking dolly. Cuddling the doll that she had brought with her, Kathleen watched her father closely as he opened the book and prepared to read it too her; her mother and aunt where busy with dinner and wouldn't be calling for them anytime soon.

Clearing his throat, Thomas slowly started to read the book that he had been handed by Kathleen while the little girl made herself comfortable on the bed. Neither of them seemed to notice that they were being watched while Thomas read to Kathleen; the two were engrossed in what they were doing.

Peeking through the doorway, Rosemary smiled to herself as she silently moved away from the door not wanting to disturb them; she had come to tell them that dinner was ready, but it could wait a little longer. It was wonderful to see the two bonding and Rosemary had no doubts that Kathleen would only bring out the best in Thomas; she had been worried that the two wouldn't bond because Thomas had been away for so long.

Quietly leaving them to read, Rosemary headed back downstairs to where Ada was putting on her coat; the two shared a smile before Ada said her goodbyes and left not wanting to linger. She had promised Polly that she would be home to look after Finn when she was done here; she had liked seeing her brother and she was thrilled they had all come home safely.

Moving to make sure that the dinner didn't go cold, Rosemary smiled to herself feeling blessed that things had worked out like they had.

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	25. Martha Shelby

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Five: Martha Shelby.**

The sound of someone pounding on her front door made Rosemary frown, she peered over her shoulder to the empty space beside her before she moved to get out of bed; she wasn't even surprised to see that Thomas wasn't next to her. Shaking her head, Rosemary climbed out of bed and reached for her dressing gown; she pulled it around her as she headed out of her room and down the stairs. The noise at the door was only getting louder as she approached it, she was almost surprised when she opened the door to find Ada standing there in her night clothes.

"Ada?" Rosemary asked confused, she had no idea what had happened and why her sister-in-law was here at such a late hour; it wasn't safe to be walking the streets at this hour of the night. The look on Ada's face made Rosemary's stomach turn, Ada's face was wet with tears and she was shaking making Rosemary fear what had happened.

"You have to come quick. It's Martha," Ada said, she had come as quickly as she could when Polly had sent her to get Rosemary; she hadn't been allowed inside but she knew it was bad. Rosemary didn't hesitate for a moment, she moved to pull on her shoes as Ada stepped into the house; she wasn't going to be much help and she would remain here to watch Kathleen.

Hurrying out the door in no more than her night clothes, dressing down and shoes; Rosemary didn't look back as she hurried in the direction of John and Martha's home fearing what she might find. It had only been the other day that she had seen the other woman and she knew how excited she had been about the impending birth of her child.

They had talked names and Martha had seemed a little tired but with three other children to manage; Rosemary hadn't been surprised and had done her best to help in any way that she could. Arriving at the house, Rosemary didn't stop as she spotted John standing on the door step; he looked pale and he only nodded in greeting, he allowed her to pass as he continued to wait for his brothers to arrive.

The birth of the newest Shelby was something to be celebrated and it was the first time since they had returned from war that something good had happened. Rosemary didn't pay him much attention, she headed up the stairs to where she could hear the sounds that reminded her much of the day that Kathleen had been born.

Stepping inside the room, Rosemary came to a complete stop at the sight that greeted her; she closed the door firmly behind her knowing that this couldn't end well. Polly was trying to comfort Martha, who looked extremely pale while the bed beneath her was covered in blood; she hesitated for a moment not sure what to do. Taking a deep breath, Rosemary moved further into the room not sure if she'd ever seen so much blood in her life; she doubted that John was aware of just what was happening in here.

"Rosie?" Martha whispered turning her head to smile weakly at her friend, she weakly reached out to her knowing that this was her end; she didn't see how she could survive birthing her child but she would do it. Taking Martha's hand, Rosemary gave it a squeeze to let her know that she was not alone; she didn't look at Polly who moved to try and find something clean to try and fix the mess that was the bed.

"It's going to be okay," Rosemary whispered back, she glanced around the room as the midwife whispered to Polly away from the two; she didn't have to guess to know what was being said. She instead focused on her friend, who was barely clinging onto life and she feared what the future held for them.

Polly was quickly back at Martha's side, she wiped a wet cloth across Martha's forehead as she shared a look with Rosemary; they had to act fast if they wanted a chance to save them before it was too late. Trying to rally the last of her strength, Martha pushed with all her might already accepting that she wasn't going to make it; she wasn't going to allow her baby to die with her.

"Come on Martha," Rosemary encouraged, she allowed her friend to squeeze her hand as hard as she wanted; she remembered doing the same to her when Kathleen had been born. The next few moments seemed to drag on as Martha continued to struggle with birthing her child; the baby didn't seem to be moving and the midwife looked worried.

"Please… save my… baby," Martha pleaded struggling to catch her breath, her vision swimming as she looked at the woman charged with delivering her child. It was break her family if they were to lose not just her but the baby as well, there had to be some way to save at least her baby and Martha didn't care how the midwife did it.

The midwife stared at Martha for a moment before she nodded her head, she picked up an object that the women couldn't see and got to work doing what she could to save at least one life. They didn't have to wait long before cries filled the air and the midwife passed off the baby to Rosemary who quickly wrapped them up in clean towels; she stared down at her new niece in awe.

"It's a little girl Martha, look," Rosemary said approaching the top of the bed so that Martha could see her daughter; she carefully handled the tot over to her mother while she tried to hold back tears. Martha looked so weak and there was so much blood around her, Rosemary had barely noticed that Polly had left the room to inform John of what was happening.

"Katherine," Martha whispered her voice barely being heard before John burst into the room with Polly lingering by the door; he hurried to her side and took her hand as tears filled his eyes and started to fall. Taking a step back, Rosemary let like sound had been sucked from the world as she headed out into the hallway; she felt dizzy as she moved and was relieved to be outside for a moment.

Her eyes locked on Thomas as he appeared at the top of the stairs, he seemed to hesitate for a moment unsure what to do before he approached her and wrapped her in his arms. It was only then that Rosemary broke down crying, she clutched at his shirt as she cried; this was not how this was meant to end and she couldn't imagine what John was feeling right now.

Slowly she could hear John's pleas for Martha not to leave him and their children, his heartbroken cries reaching those out in the hallway letting them know that Martha had passed. Thomas closed his eyes, he had never wished this on anyone especially after nearly losing Rosemary a few months ago; he knew that he would never want anything to happen to her.

He held onto Rosemary as she wept as Arthur came up the stairs, both of them knowing that John was going to need to take time away from the business. The man had a newborn to look after now as well as three other young children, it wasn't going to be easy and they were going to need time and a lot of help to recover. There would be a funeral to organise and Thomas could only imagine what people would think; this situation was far from pleasant and people would talk.

Rosemary squeezed her eyes shut, she had lost her friend and confidante in a way that she had never imagined; it made Rosemary fear for the future. The last thing that she wanted to do was leave Kathleen without a mother, she could only imagine just what would happen if she did so; she didn't know what might become of her daughter should Thomas remarry.

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	26. The Funeral

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Six: The Funeral.**

Staring down at the grave, Rosemary couldn't believe how fast they had managed to put this together; she guessed that they didn't want to risk Martha passing on the illness that had taken her life. It had happened quickly and Rosemary still couldn't quite believe that the woman was gone leaving her four children motherless; she had been feeling better the day that she had passed.

Rosemary recalled popping around to help out with the children, she had done what she could to help out along with Polly and Ada while the men had been working. She hadn't been able to stay long since she had her own household to manage but she was determined to do her part no matter how small it was; she had been pleased to see Martha up and talking when she had been there.

The fact that the news had come late that night that had Martha had passed away, had come as a complete shock to them all; they had been convinced that she was on the road to recovery. Thomas squeezed her hand snapping her from her thoughts as the funeral slowly ended and Martha's coffin was finally lowered into the ground; it was strange to think that they were here to bury one of their own.

Across from where they were standing stood John and his children, the younger ones clearly not understanding what had happened to their mother while their father cried next to them. John had barely been able to be around his children since their mother had passed and the care of the children had fallen to the women who tried to manage them.

However, it wasn't easy and Polly was the one that had stepped forward to take charge there; she was hopeful that things would settle down soon. James, Steven and Margaret were all huddled together against the wind; they were silent as the funeral slowly started to an end. He was determined to move them away from the cramped conditions that they lived in, he could imagine a home in the countryside; a place where Kathleen and any other children that they had would be able to play in the clean fresh air.

A better life than anything that he or Rosemary had growing up, he wanted only the best for his children and he knew that things would only get better for them. Once the funeral was done, Polly ushered the children away offering a concerned glance at John who was walking alongside Arthur.

There was to be a wake at the Garrison and she could only imagine how drunk John was going to get; she had her hands full with his four children without having to deal with him. Wrapping his arm around Rosemary, Thomas walked her out of the graveyard; they had to pick up Kathleen up from one of the neighbours and then Thomas had promised to join his brothers. Arthur had taken John under his wing since Martha had died, they didn't think being around Thomas was helping him much especially since Thomas had Rosemary.

"I can't believe that she's gone," Rosemary whispered to Thomas, things were going to be very different this Christmas and it wasn't going to be the happy joyous time that they had all pictured.

* * *

Staring out the window at their back garden, Rosemary found herself lost in thought again while Kathleen played in the living room; snow covered the ground as far as she could see. The sun had gone down and Rosemary found that most of the day was a blare, it had passed by quicker than she realised and she knew that the next few days were probably be the same.

It made her think of the future, she knew that Thomas was always talking about being better for Kathleen but her husband's determination was only increasing with each passing day. The longer that he had been back from war, the more determined he seemed to be about improving their lives; something that she knew that he had already put in motion.

The sound of the front door opening and closing, made Rosemary turn away from the window to get Thomas's dinner from the oven where she had been keeping it warm. Kathleen's squeal of daddy only confirmed who had entered the house and Rosemary smiled; despite the fact that Thomas had missed so much of their daughter's first few years, there was no denying she was very much a daddy's girl.

Stepping into the kitchen, Thomas smiled at the sight of Rosemary and he set Kathleen back on the floor and ruffled her hair before he moved to sit down at their kitchen table. Coming home to this was all that he had dreamt of when he had been away at war and Thomas loved that his home was now filled with life; it felt like a home instead of a place where he slept.

It was all down to Rosemary that such a change had taken place, she had changed the empty shell into a place where she had raised their daughter while he was away fighting. There was always an inviting smell greeting him when he entered the house, his dinner ready and Kathleen raised to greet him if he arrived home early enough to see her before bed.

It made him think about what it would be like should they ever have more children, he wanted Kathleen to grow up with siblings like he had; he was sure that it would happen sooner rather than later. Rosemary set his dinner before him and smiled, a little relieved that he hadn't come home drunk from the wake and she could only imagine what sort of state John was in. The man hadn't been coping with the loss of his wife, it had come as a nasty shock for him especially when he hadn't longed returned from spending four years in the trenches to his family.

"How was John?" Rosemary asked softly, she moved away from Thomas to finish the dishes while he enjoyed his dinner; she would be putting Kathleen to bed soon. Thomas didn't say anything as he tucked into the simple meal that Rosemary had prepared for him; his stomach grateful for the food after the alcohol he had consumed. He had been one of the soberer members to leave and he knew that Ada had lingered a little longer to help clean up which he was sure the owner was thankful for.

"He's staying at Arthur's for the night, he was in no state to go home," Thomas replied shaking his head, he could only imagine what Polly would have to say when she found out. His aunt had been staying at John's to help out with the children and he knew that she wasn't going to just let him ignore his children; it was his responsibility to care for them.

Rosemary sighed, she guessed that he had gotten rather drunk at the wake if he was staying with Arthur; hopefully the older brother would be able to knock some sense into him. Martha wouldn't want him to ignore or abandon their children, it was the last thing she would want her husband to do to their four children.

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	27. Monaghan Boy

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything Peaky Blinder related, that belongs to the series creator Steven Knight.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Seven: Monaghan Boy** **.**

Moving to do the dishes, Rosemary sighed thinking about what she would do for dinner that evening; it was her night off and she didn't have to worry about going around to John's house to help with the children. Things were still strange and Rosemary's heart broke every time one of the children asked for their mother; they didn't seem to understand that she wasn't coming back.

"Mama. Mama. Come look," Kathleen shouted from outside catching Rosemary's attention; she had sent the little girl out to play in the garden with the express instructions not to leave the garden. The last thing that Rosemary wanted was for something to happen to her daughter; she didn't know what she would do if something did happen.

Drying her hands on her apron and sharing a look with Victoria, Rosemary headed for the front door wondering what had gotten Kathleen so excited; it had been quiet on the street and she couldn't think of anything that could make her excited. Her mother had come around to help out with Kathleen, she had been helping out when she could and she had even offered to help John with his children.

Victoria couldn't imagine how difficult things were for the man having lost his wife in childbirth, he had four little ones that needed him and he didn't seem to be coping in the best of ways. Reaching the doorstep, Rosemary looked outside at the small garden that Kathleen had been playing in; she stopped at the sight that greeted her and she wondered if her husband had completely lost his mind. The two women stared at the sight before them, neither sure what had been going through Thomas Shelby's mind when he had decided that this was a good idea.

"Look Mama. Look what daddy brought home," Kathleen called thrilled, she couldn't take her eyes off the horse that was stood beside her father just outside the front gate. She had never seen one up close before and it was so much more impressive than she had imagined; she had only seen them in books and now there was one standing outside her front gate.

"Tommy?" Rosemary asked wondering why he had a horse, she looked at him wondering if he had completely lost his mind; what would they do with a horse and where would they keep it. Their garden wasn't big enough to keep it, there was no way that they could keep it especially since there was no way that they could look after the horse here.

"What do you think?" Thomas asked patting the horse, he hadn't told his wife what he had been planning but he knew that this was the first step on the road that would change things for them. The look on his wife's face did little to deter Thomas from his plan, she would understand more when the horse started earning his keep; it was a start that he knew would lead to great things.

"Have you lost your mind? Where will we keep him?" Rosemary asked crossing the garden, they didn't have much money as it was and some days, they barely had enough to make sure that they could put food on the table. Things weren't going well at the store and Rosemary knew that she could lose her job then they would struggle even more than they did so now; there was just no way that they could afford this right now.

"It's all taken care of," Thomas assured her, he knew that she worried about money but that would change soon; especially if his plans for the horse went well. Thomas was certain that his plans would lead to extra money coming into the house and Rosemary's worries would be put to rest quickly; he knew that she was stretched thin right now.

It greatly annoyed him how John was acting, he wasted his money on whores and barely spent any time with the children; it was left to Rosemary, Polly and Ada to clean up his mess. Victoria couldn't help but feel rather amused by the fact that her son-in-law had brought a horse; she remembered the time that Robert had brought home a piglet and insisted that they could make some money off it.

"What's his name?" Kathleen asked not noticing the annoyed look that had filled her mother's face, her own blue eyes staring in wonder at the horse that her father had brought home. She didn't dare take a step out of the gate knowing that her mother had told her not to do so; instead she was pressed up against the garden wall as she stared at the magnificent creature that was stood beside her father.

"Monaghan Boy and he's going to win the Cheltenham Races," Thomas stated proudly, he was sure of it and he knew that the winnings would be used to buy Rosemary something nice; she deserved it after everything she had done while he was away. There were no doubts in his mind that this was going to change things for the better; the horse was going to make big changes to how things were done around here and this was just the beginning of what he had planned.

"I think Billy Kimber might have something to say about that," Rosemary replied wondering just what her husband was planning, she didn't want trouble knocking on their door. They had Kathleen to think about and Rosemary didn't doubt that this would be the first place that people came looking for Thomas if things went wrong. There was no way that a man like Billy Kimber would care if Thomas had a wife and daughter at home should he desire to get his own back on someone who was trying to outplay him at his own game.

"It's all in hand love," Thomas replied, he had everything under control and there was nothing for Rosemary to worry about. A part of him was thankful to see Victoria here, he had noticed that his mother-in-law visited more often now and Rosemary had mentioned that she was helping out since John wasn't coping.

"Do you want to go for a ride?" Thomas asked looking at Kathleen, the little girl looked in awe of the horse and he was sure a trip around the block was in order; it would certainly give Rosemary a break. Glancing back at her mother uncertainly, a bright smile filled her face when Rosemary nodded her head; she scampered out of the gate without another look back.

"We're not done talking about this Tommy," Rosemary insisted, she wouldn't fight with him in front of Kathleen and the look of joy as the little girl was lifted onto the horses back warmed her heart. Things had been tough in the past couple of months, there was so much happening and Rosemary prayed that things would get better for them.

Watching Thomas ride down the street with Kathleen, Rosemary sighed as a smile formed on her face; she could hear the little girl's laughs as she disappeared down the street with her father. No matter what was going on with Thomas, she loved this side of him; the side that made their daughter so happy no matter what it seemed to cost.

It didn't matter if it was some doll that she could play with or another toy, even turning up with a horse knowing that it would bring joy to their daughter. Seeing Thomas like this made Rosemary wish that they had another, things in their relationship had improved since her brush of death but some things remained the same. Thomas was very focused on his work and she wanted nothing more for him to see that everything was okay the way it was; they managed and that was enough for her as long as he came home to her and Kathleen.

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